Barbora Krejcikova withdraws from Indian Wells due to an injury

Barbora Krejcikova was forced to withdraw from this year's Indian Wells due to an arm injury and it's a significant blow to her No. 1 aspirations.

The reigning French Open champion was scheduled to be the top seed at the prestigious WTA 1000 event but has failed to overcome her injury in time. Krejcikova was due to play either qualifier Harmony Tan or Rebecca Peterson in the second round but has now been replaced by France’s Alize Cornet in the second round. Lucky loser Magdalena Fręch will take Cornet’s place in the draw. 

The Czech’s absence is another blow for the tournament, which has already seen Australian Open champion, Ashleigh Barty, choosing to skip the event. Barty, who has been the world number one for three consecutive seasons now, revealed her body has not recovered since her win in Melbourne, and that she’s not at the ‘level necessary’ to win right now.