Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open: Muguruza and Badosa withdraw ahead of first round

Former world No 1 pulls out for 'personal reasons' while fellow Spaniard is out due to illness

Garbine Muguruza had arrived for the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open without a win this season. EPA

Former world No 1 Garbine Muguruza has withdrawn from the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open ahead of her first-round clash with Karolina Pliskova for "personal reasons", organisers announced.

Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion, had been scheduled to face Pliskova in the first match of Tuesday's evening session on the Stadium Court in what was arguably the tie of the round, but the Spaniard's withdrawal was confirmed by the tournament organisers hours before.

Pliskova will instead face lucky loser Ysaline Bonaventure, with the winner progressing to play Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the second round.

Compatriot Paula Badosa, the former world No 2, has also pulled out of the tournament due to illness. She has been replaced by Claire Liu, who will take on Russian eighth seed Liudmila Samsonova.

"Ysaline Bonaventure & Claire Liu are officially back in the game at #MubadalaAbuDhabiOpen! Replacing Badosa who is withdrawing due to viral illness & Muguruza who is withdrawing due to personal reasons," read a tweet from the official Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open account.

Muguruza, who won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title in 2021, had hoped to kickstart her season in Abu Dhabi after beginning 2023 with four straight losses. Since winning the WTA Finals in 2021, the Spaniard has struggled for form and has slipped to 82 in the world rankings, although she told The National in an interview last week hat she was staying "calm" about her situation.

Badosa, meanwhile, has endured an injury-hit start to the year, sustaining a thigh injury at the Adelaide International last month which forced her to withdraw from the Australian Open.