Former Australian Open champion Madison Keys has withdrawn from the upcoming China Open as the absentee list for the tournament rises to nine.

It appears to have been a tumultuous fortnight for the American, partly due to throwing away a 5-0 final-set lead to Qinwen Zheng in the third round of the US Open.

The 31-year-old fought back tears in her post-match press conference, while admitting all had not been well for her in recent times.

Keys told reporters, “I just feel like I’ve kind of been struggling for a while now, and I feel like I was able to kind of play through it for a bit. I’m sure everyone could kind of see that I was struggling a little bit, but inside it felt probably even bigger than that.

“Some weeks are easier than others, and this week is obviously one of the harder ones just because you care so much. Yeah, I’m going to have to make some sort of changes.”

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That was followed up by the former world No 5 dispelling rumours that she was pregnant with husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo.

She said, “If people could stop assuming and or asking me if I am pregnant, that would be super fun. That’s like the number one comment I keep getting, post US Open.”

Now, it has emerged that Keys will not be competing at the star-studded WTA 1000 event in Beijing, which begins on 30 September. She has been replaced by former world No 2 Paula Badosa.

US Open winner Elena Rybakina and runner-up Aryna Sabalenka headline the tournament, alongside fellow top five players Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Mirra Andreeva.

Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova and six-time major winner Iga Swiatek also feature, but rising WTA star Alex Eala has pulled out due to a clash with the Asian Games.

The 21-year-old is seeking a WTA exemption so she can represent the Philippines at the competition in Japan, which runs from 27 September to 3 October. If she cannot get it, she faces a fine and points penalty.

Meanwhile, American McCartney Kessler has prematurely ended her season after a “physically demanding” 2026 campaign. The 27-year-old has decided to step back, let her body “heal”, and come back fresh for 2027.

Despite winning the US Open, Rybakina’s Achilles injury issues have not gone away. That issue has ruled her out of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals this week, and it remains to be seen how long she will be out for.

For now, though, she has not withdrawn from the China Open. Incidentally, here is the full list of withdrawals for the event below.

China Open withdrawals

- Victoria Mboko (world No 14) – replaced by Lanlana Tararudee

- Alex Eala (world No 18) – replaced by Petra Marcinko

- Madison Keys (world No 22) – replaced by Paula Badosa

- Hailey Baptiste (world No 37) – replaced by Katie Volynets

- Karolina Pliskova (world No 46) – replaced by Magda Linette

- Shuai Zhang (world No 55) – replaced by Maria Timofeeva

- Jacqueline Cristian (world No 56) – replaced by Alycia Parks

- McCartney Kessler (world No 73) – replaced by Aoi Ito

- Emma Raducanu (world No 97) – replaced by Hanne Vandewinkel

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