Rybakina pulls out of Pan Pacific Open semi-final

Elena Rybakina missed her Pan Pacific Open semi-final due to back issues a day after winning the WTA Finals, which was wrapping up.

The Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova, who will now face Belinda Bencic in Sunday’s Tokyo final, was scheduled to face the 2022 champion.

Rybakina, 26, expressed regret in a statement that she could not play today.

“This week I’ve been having back issues, and I’m not able to play completely.” I’m disappointed that my fans won’t see me today, but I’m excited to see you next year.

The Kazakh defeated Victoria Mboko on Friday to take the spot in the WTA Finals, which will feature the top eight singles and doubles teams of the year.

To defeat Russian 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva in the race for eighth and final place, she had to reach at least the semifinals in Tokyo.

Bencic, who won Olympic gold in 2021, defeated American Sofia Kenin 7-6 (7-5) 33-6 6-2 to advance to the final.

Before the Swiss won it on a tie-break, both players were strong on serve in the opening set.

Kenin, the previous Australian Open champion, then won the second set before Bencic won the final match.