Bianca Andreescu prepares to hit a shot to Simona Halep during the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China, on Oct. 28, 2019.Andy Wong/The Associated Press
Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu has withdrawn from the Credit One Bank Invitational tennis tournament.
The tournament posted an update on its website shortly before it was set to begin that stated Andreescu will be replaced in the 16-player field by Caroline Dolehide.
The Octagon agency, which represents Andreescu, explained the decision in an e-mail Tuesday afternoon.
“After carefully deliberating with her team, Bianca decided that playing the exhibition was a bit premature, and that she’d spend this time continuing to focus her efforts on training at home with her team to prepare for the full return to play.”
The sixth-ranked Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, has not played since she suffered a knee injury in late October at the WTA Finals in China.
The 20-year-old from Mississauga, was hoping to defend her 2019 Indian Wells title in March at the BNP Paribas Open only to have to pull out due to the lingering injury.
The tournament ended up being halted by the COVID-19 pandemic only days after Andreescu pulled out, with the WTA Tour tennis season being put on a hiatus until July 13.
The Credit One Bank Invitational is not part of the WTA Tour.
Canadians Eugenie Bouchard and Leylah Annie Fernandez remain part of the field.