Amanda Anisimova withdraws from Rome Open at last minute due to left wrist injury

Amanda Anisimova was scheduled to play against former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko this afternoon at the Rome Open. However, her hiatus from tennis continues with a wrist injury forcing her to withdraw just before her second round clash.

Her injury problems amid turbulent form has made 2026 a somewhat year to forget for the former world number three. This latest setback leaves her without a match played on clay with Roland Garros just a few weeks from commencing.

The American has been unable to kick on from the new heights she reached last year. Back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open were matched with a brace of WTA 1000 titles in Qatar and Beijing.

She was heavily favoured to be a huge name challenging for the big titles in 2026, but that prospect has not materialised for a number of reasons. A quarterfinal at the Australian Open was followed by a retirement at her title defence in Qatar. A semi-final in Dubai resulted in yet another defeat to Jessica Pegula before consecutive last-16 appearances at the Sunshine swing have been the last times she has stepped onto court.

She pulled out of the Charleston Open as a left wrist issue became apparent. Later withdrawals from Stuttgart and Madrid followed with Rome the latest tournament she has been forced to skip. This is a surprise. She has been on site training and preparing for the tournament, met with a very tough test against Ostapenko. Anisimova left it as long as she could, but in the end she was not capable of competing, thus pulling out.

Elena-Gabriela Ruse is the fortunate one in all of this. Momentarily, she will be stepping onto the court to face the former Roland Garros champion.