The withdrawal crisis at Dubai Open has deepened after teenage prospect Victoria Mboko became the latest high-profile player to exit the WTA 1000 event, adding to an already growing list of absentees.
The tournament director of the Dubai Tennis Championships has suggested players should lose ranking points for last-minute withdrawals, following the late decisions by Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek to skip the 2026 event.
World number five Andrey Rublev was sensationally defaulted after being accused of swearing at a line judge in the deciding set of his semi-final at the Dubai Open.
Daniil Medvedev cruised through to the semi-finals of the Dubai Open with a straight set 6-2 6-3 win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Thursday.