Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

What seems like a mass injury jinx is haunting organizers of the WTA Hong Kong Open, with 2014 holder Sabine Lisicki out for the rest of the season and drawcards Victoria Azarenka and Eugenie Bouchard also looking doubtful.

The tournament will be starting its second edition a week from Monday under a cloud after Azarenka was forced to quit a match in Wuhan, China, with a thigh injury and Canadian Bouchard unable to play after arriving in Asia due to lingering effects of a concussion suffered in a locker room slipping fall at the US Open a month ago.

The South China Morning Post reported that both Azarenka and Bouchard are hoping to be fit, but their participations will be last-minute decisions. “I will rest in Wuhan for the next few days to determine how I progress,” said Bouchard, the 2014 Wimbledon finalist who withdrew from Hong Kong a year ago in what ended up as a misunderstanding over entry procedures.

German Lisicki was forced to end her season early due to a knee problem which has bothered her for weeks. “I’ve been struggling with a knee injury before and during the US Open. Doctors have tried everything in order to get me ready for the Asian swing. But unfortunately my knee is not ready and I will not compete at tournaments this season,” she said on Facebook.

Hong Kong Tennis Association boss Chris Lai said his office is staying in close touch with Bouchard and Azarenka.

Lisicki is being treated by Munich-based sports doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt. She was able to take her mind off of her tennis troubles by donning a cleavage-baring dirndl dress and posing with a mass of beer at Oktoberfest last week.

So far, Venus Williams remains a Hong Kong starter after winning her 700th career match this week in China.

Next week’s China Open in Beijing also took a hit as holder Maria Sharapova withdrew from her title defense after suffering a left forearm injury this week on court.

The world No. 3 has not played a complete match since Wimbledon almost three months ago, where she lost to Serena Williams in the semi-finals.

She quit in the third set of her opening match against Czech Barbora Strycova on Monday at the Wuhan Open.

“I am very disappointed to have to pull out of the China Open this year and not have the chance to defend my title,” Sharapova said in a statement.
The 28-year-old missed the hardcourt summer with a leg problem and is now focusing on Russia’s Fed Cup final in the Czech Republic as well as the WTA season wrap-up event in Singapore.

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.