Madrid, April 21: World No. 6 Amanda Anisimova and World No. 14 Ekaterina Alexandrova have withdrawn from the Mutua Madrid Open 2026 due to injuries. Anisimova is suffering from a wrist injury, while Alexandrova is dealing with a lower back issue.
In Alexandrova’s absence, Maria Sakkari has been granted the No. 33 seed in the draw. Meanwhile, Magdalena Frech has been assigned the No. 34 seed, stepping in for Anisimova, who was considered a strong contender for the quarterfinals. Both players received a bye in the first round.
Sakkari and Frech’s original first-round opponents, Janis Jone and Katerina Siniakova, will now face qualifiers or ‘lucky losers’ determined after the final qualifying round.
Anisimova has not competed since her fourth-round loss to Belinda Bencic in Miami. She also withdrew from the Charleston tournament due to an undisclosed injury.
Alexandrova had previously pulled out of Charleston due to her back injury. She returned to the court just two weeks ago but lost to Karolína Plíšková in her first match in Linz and was defeated by Linda Nosková in the second round in Stuttgart.
Other players who have withdrawn from Madrid prior to the main draw include Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal, who will miss the entire clay-court season due to a back injury. France’s Varvara Gracheva is out for the season after suffering an ACL injury during practice at the end of March. Australia’s Maya Joint is also sidelined due to a back injury, while Emma Navarro is out due to ongoing illness. Emma Raducanu and Markéta Vondroušová are also on this withdrawal list.
A total of 96 female players now know their path to the title at ‘Caja Mágica’. This tournament, one of the toughest of the season, will feature final matches at the grand Manolo Santana Stadium, where the world’s best WTA players are set to compete.
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka aims to become the first woman to win her fourth title at Caja Mágica. If successful, she will become the most successful WTA player in the tournament’s history.
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