Paula Badosa faces a race to be fit for next week’s Australian Open after the former world number two pulled out injured before her Adelaide International semi-final on Friday.
The first Grand Slam of the year has been hit by numerous withdrawals in both the men’s and women’s fields, including two-time former champion Naomi Osaka, who is expecting her first child.
The Spaniard Badosa, who is seeded 11th in Melbourne and drawn to face Caty McNally of the United States in the first round, withdrew from the Adelaide warm-up tournament because of a thigh injury.
Russia’s Daria Kasatkina advanced to the final and will face either Olympic champion Belinda Bencic or compatriot Veronika Kudermetova.
The 25-year-old Badosa said that she first felt the thigh problem in her quarter-final.
“Today I feel a little bit worse. I have the Australian Open ahead and I hope I can recover for that,” the WTA website quoted her as saying.
The Australian Open starts on Monday.