Morocco,
has been announced. This tournament will serve as the final stop for players
before the
French Open, with
Yue Yuan,
Anna Blinkova, and
Sara Sorribes Tormo
as the top seeds.
Bianca Andreescu was set to make her return to the courts in
Rabat after a nine-month hiatus since her last match, a first-round defeat to
Camila Giorgi at the
Canadian Open on 8 August 2023. However, her return has
been delayed due to a last-minute withdrawal.
Rabat Open Draw Announced
The tournament features five top-50 players, led by World
No. 36 Yue Yuan. The Chinese player was the surprise package at the recent
Indian Wells, reaching the quarter-finals with stunning victories over Zheng
Qinwen and
Daria Kasatkina before falling to Coco Gauff. Two of her compatriots
are also among the seeds:
Lin Zhu (8th seed) and Wang Xiyu (6th).
Other top contenders include Anna Blinkova (No. 45), Spanish
clay specialist Sara Sorribes Tormo (No. 46), and Italians Elisabetta
Cocciaretto (No. 52) and the 2023 champion
Lucia Bronzetti (No. 47). Notable participants also
include two former French Open semi-finalists,
Martina Trevisan (No. 88) and
Nadia Podoroska (No. 59).
![Trevisan won the title at 2022 Rabat Open after defeated Claire Liu (6-1, 6-2)](https://r.testifier.nl/Acbs8526SDKI/resizing_type:fit/watermark:Picture%3A%20Proshots/width:1280/plain/https://s3-newsifier.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/tennisuptodate.com/images/2022-05/trevisan-rome-2-6295f3bacbdd5.jpg@webp)
Trevisan won the title at 2022 Rabat Open after defeated Claire Liu (6-1, 6-2)
Notable Absences
Just days ago, the organisers of the Grand Prix de Son
Altesse Royale La Princesse Lalla Meryem announced wild cards for notable
players
Paula Badosa and
Simona Halep, adding to the star-studded main draw
that included Andreescu. However, none of them will compete in the tournament.
Badosa, struggling with back injuries, decided to withdraw to ensure her
fitness for Roland Garros.
Former World No. 1 Simona Halep played this week at the WTA
125 in Paris, debuting against McCartney Kessler. The Romanian won the first
set and was fighting to maintain parity in the second when she felt discomfort
in her knee, forcing her to retire with the score at 7-5, 2-3. Subsequently,
Halep decided to withdraw from Rabat. They join
Greet Minnen and Jaqueline
Cristian in missing the tournament.