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(Reuters) - Belgian
Elise Mertens withdrew from the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi on
Thursday with a right shoulder injury hours before her opening
match of the 2021 tennis season, the women's governing body
said.
The world number 20 was drawn to meet Frenchwoman Alize Cornet
in her first round match in the season-opening event in the
United Arab Emirates and will be replaced by Greek lucky loser
Valentini Grammatikopoulou.
Mertens, 25, also pulled out from the doubles, in which she was
to partner Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, and would hope to regain
fitness ahead of the Australian Open Grand Slam, which starts in
Melbourne from Feb. 8.
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Emelia
Sithole-Matarise)
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