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Simona Halep pulls out of Dubai Tennis Championships with back issueWorld number three Halep also pulled out of this week's Qatar Open in Doha
Reuters
Last Updated IST
 Romania's Simona Halep. Credit: Reuters Photo
Romania's Simona Halep. Credit: Reuters Photo

Defending champion Simona Halep has withdrawn from next week's Dubai Tennis Championships with a lower back complaint, organisers of the WTA 1000 tournament said on Thursday.

World number three Halep, who also pulled out of this week's Qatar Open in Doha, has not played a competitive match since losing in straight sets to Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarter-finals last month.

"Unfortunately I am not feeling 100 per cent in my lower back, and I have made the tough decision to withdraw from the 2021 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships," the 29-year-old Romanian, who also won the Dubai event in 2015, said in a statement.

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"I have great memories from winning my 20th WTA title after some really tough matches in Dubai last year so I'm disappointed that I won't be able to defend my title."

Halep follows world number one Ash Barty, who is recovering from a leg injury, in skipping the Dubai event, which runs from March 7-13.

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(Published 04 March 2021, 20:55 IST)