Garcia, Mertens withdraw from WTA250 Chennai Open

With the withdrawals of Caroline Garcia and Elise Mertens, Canada's Carol Zhao and Greece's Despina Papamichail moved into the main draw of the WTA250 Chennai Open.

Caroline Garcia was expected to be the top seed at the WTA250 Chennai Open but the Frenchwoman has withdrawn from the event due to scheduling issues after reaching the semifinals at the US Open. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia and Belgium's Elise Mertens have withdrawn from the WTA Chennai Open, scheduled to start on Monday at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam, Chennai

Garcia, who is ranked No 17 in the world, had to pull out of the event due to scheduling challenges. The Frenchwoman reached the semifinals of the ongoing US Open in New York where she lost to Tunisia's Ons Jabeur in straight sets on Thursday evening.

Mertens, a former world No 12 and a former US Open semifinalist, has pulled out due to an injury. The Belgian lost in the first round of the singles event at the US Open last week before pulling out of her subsequent women’s doubles first-round match.

With their withdrawals, Canada's Carol Zhao and Greece's Despina Papamichail have moved into the main draw.