Czech tennis player Sara Errani, ranked 38th in the world, and Australian Daria Kasatkina, ranked 61st, have withdrawn from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. This occurred on the third day of the 26th edition of the tournament, taking place at the Dubai Duty Free in Al Quoz. The tournament is a WTA 1000 event and runs until February 21, with a total prize money of $4.08 million. Salah Tahlil, tournaments director of 'Tennis Dubai', confirmed to 'Al Ittihad' that the withdrawals of Errani and Kasatkina were due to injuries. He emphasized the organizing committee's commitment to the players' safety, wishing them a speedy recovery and a quick return to competition. Tahlil explained that a congested schedule increases the likelihood of stress and injuries. He noted that Errani had played tough matches the previous week on her way to winning the Mubadala title, and injuries to the hand and arm directly affect a player's ability to continue in tournaments. He also stated that the withdrawals will not affect public interest, as many top-ranked players are still participating, aiming to add a new achievement to their Dubai title records. The organizing committee, in two separate statements, confirmed that injuries were the reason for the players' withdrawals. Errani apologized for withdrawing from her second-round match against world No. 13 Belinda Bencic. Kasatkina withdrew due to a hand injury before facing the defending champion, Russian Mirra Andreeva, ranked seventh. The withdrawals of Errani and Kasatkina gave Bencic and Andreeva a bye into the quarterfinals, providing them with an important opportunity to maintain their physical readiness and advance further in the tournament. Just before the draw, the organizing committee had already announced the withdrawals of world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek due to injuries and a packed schedule. Later, Czech player Barbora Krejcikova (ranked 53rd) also withdrew despite winning her first-round match against Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-4, due to a recurring thigh injury. Polish player Magda Linette, ranked 50th, delivered the first surprise of the current edition by eliminating Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova, ranked 12th. Linette won in three sets 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. In the quarterfinals, she will face last year's runner-up, Danish player Clara Tauson (ranked 15th), who defeated the 'lucky loser' American Peyton Stearns 6-2, 6-4.
