The defending champion, Elena Rybakina pulls out of the ATP 1000 Masters in Indian Wells, United States, due to illness. The Kazakh international who was seed no. 4, withdrew from the tournament due to a gastrointestinal illness. The 24-year-old tennis player has been replaced by American tennis player Kayla Day, who came in as a lucky qualifying loser.
Last year, Elena Rybakina defeated World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the finals with a score of 7-6 and 6-4. She was excited to defend her title at this year’s tournament as well but will miss out, unfortunately. Elena started the 2024 year with a bang by winning the Brisbane International WTA Tour and Abu dhabi Open.
Rybakina recently said “Those close to me know how much this tournament means to me and how much I wanted to come back and defend my title” and “Physically, I’m ready and I can play good. You never know how it’s going to go. Lot of good players. We’ll see.”
Kayla Day, the replacement for Elena Rybakina, will face Nadia Podoroska in the round of 64 fixture. Kayla Day will look forward to establish a great performance as a replacent for the expected winner Rybakina.