Elena Rybakina Withdraws from Pan Pacific Open Quarterfinals

Top seed Elena Rybakina withdrew from her Friday quarterfinal in Tokyo, handing a walkover victory to Canada's Leylah Fernandez.

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina withdrew from her Pan Pacific Open quarterfinal match on Friday, granting Leylah Fernandez of Canada a spot in the semifinals. The top-seeded player cited an undisclosed injury that she reported struggling with for several days. Rybakina addressed fans on the court in Tokyo, stating she needs to recover for the upcoming WTA Finals scheduled for next month in Indian Wells, California.

Despite the withdrawal, Rybakina secured the year-end No. 1 ranking following her Thursday victory over Yulia Putintseva. In other Friday quarterfinal action, Kamilla Rakhimova defeated Maya Joint 7-5, 5-7, 6-1. Rakhimova will now face Fernandez in the semifinals.

Slovakian wild-card entry Mia Pohankova, who turned 18 last week, advanced by beating Alycia Parks 7-6 (3), 6-3. Pohankova moves on to face the winner of the late quarterfinal between No. 3 seed Diana Shnaider and No. 8 Alex Eala. According to the Associated Press, Rybakina expressed hope to return to the Tokyo tournament next year.