Swiss star Belinda Bencic has been forced to withdraw from her highly anticipated quarterfinal matchup against World No. 4 Coco Gauff at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open due to a persistent leg injury.
Bencic, who has been hampered by the leg issue since Wimbledon and had expressed uncertainty about competing in Toronto prior to the tournament, made the difficult decision ahead of what was expected to be one of the marquee fixtures of the round.
The withdrawal abruptly ends what was shaping up to be another magical Toronto campaign for the 2015 tournament champion. Bencic reached the quarterfinals after navigating a grueling path through the draw, securing victories over American Sloane Stephens, double specialist Taylor Townsend in a three-set marathon, and surging Filipina phenom Alexandra Eala in the Round of 16.
Despite delivering a clinical performance against Eala on Friday night, the physical demands of her heavy workload ultimately proved too taxing on her healing leg.
“I am really sorry to not be able to compete tonight,” Bencic said in a statement released by the tournament. “This is an amazing tournament and I was really looking forward to playing in front of the great fans here in Toronto. I tried everything possible to be ready for tonight. Looking forward to being back in Toronto next time!”
With Bencic’s walkover, Coco Gauff advances directly into the semifinals in Toronto.
Gauff now awaits the winner of the blockbuster quarterfinal between former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka and No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
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