World number one Ash Barty said on Thursday (July 30) that she will skip the U.S. Open and the tournament preceding it in New York due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
“My team and I have decided that we won’t be travelling to the U.S. for the Western and Southern Open and the U.S. Open this year,” the Australian said in a statement issued by her manager.
The Western and Southern Open, which is held annually in Cincinnati, has been moved to New York this year and is set to start in mid-August.
The U.S. Open kicks off on Aug. 31 and will be held in its usual home in Flushing Meadows, Queens, but will be played without fans in attendance to limit the spread of the virus.
The reigning French Open champion will decide later whether to defend her title at Roland Garros starting in late September.
(Production: Cordelia Hsu, James Redmayne)