World No. 6 Linda Noskova has withdrawn from the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open, citing a left calf injury. As she withdrew before the first order of play was released, No. 9 seed Belinda Bencic will take Noskova's place and receive a bye into the second round.
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Anna Kalinskaya, the next available seeded player, will fill Bencic's original position in the draw and face Zhang Shuai in the first round. Kalinskaya's previous spot will be filled by a lucky loser before play begins tomorrow.
Noskova's withdrawal comes shortly after she qualified for her first WTA Finals, which will be held at Indian Wells from November 8-15. Currently, she is not scheduled to participate in any other tournaments leading up to the year-end event.
Her last appearance was at the China Open in Beijing, where she lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round. Noskova has had a successful season so far, holding a 35-16 record with two titles, Wimbledon and Berlin.
She joins a growing list of players, including World No. 1 Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka, and Amanda Anisimova, who will also miss the Wuhan Open. Additionally, Oleksandra Oliynykova has withdrawn due to a right ankle injury and has been replaced by qualifier Aoi Ito. The main draw of the Wuhan Open begins on Monday, October 12, and concludes with the finals on Sunday, October 18.