Bouchard pulls out of WTA Wuhan Open

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard withdrew from the WTA Wuhan Open Monday just hours before her first-round match, citing symptoms linked to the concussion suffered at the US Open earlier this month.

The 21-year-old has not played since she pulled out of the US Open on September 7 with a head injury caused by a locker-room fall which saw her forfeit her fourth-round match against eventual finalist Roberta Vinci of Italy.

"I travelled to Wuhan with the intention of playing. Unfortunately, my concussion symptoms came back during practice on Saturday and it would not be safe for me to go on court today," Bouchard said in a statement.

Bouchard was due to meet 18-year-old Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the first round. Bencic now faces lucky loser Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia.

Bouchard slipped and fell in the locker room after a gruelling fifth day of the US Open that saw her defeat Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in three sets before going onto win a mixed doubles match with partner Nick Kyrgios of Australia.

It was not clear if Bouchard intends to compete in next week's China Open in Beijing.

"I will rest in Wuhan for the next few days to determine how I progress, and look forward to coming back here to play in this great city next year," Bouchard said.

Bouchard lost the final at the inaugural Wuhan Open last year to Petra Kvitova. The tournament is hosted in the home city of Li Na, the country's only Grand Slam winner.

Source: AFP