Former world number one Simona Halep has been excluded from the list of participants in the US Open.
The 31-year-old Romanian tennis player has been suspended from competition since October of last year. Halep is accused of using the banned substance roxadustat and violations related to her biological passport.
Nevertheless, Halep was initially included in the main draw list for the US Open 2023, scheduled to take place from August 28th to September 10th. However, organizers announced the day before that she has been removed from the list of participants.
Halep was automatically withdrawn a week before the start of the main tournament. She will be replaced by the 134th-ranked player in the world, American Taylor Townsend.
Recall that in October 2022, Halep was temporarily suspended from competitions due to anti-doping rule violations. A doping test taken from her during her participation in the US Open in August yielded a positive result for the banned substance roxadustat.
Halep herself stated that the thought of using doping has never crossed her mind. In May, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) brought additional charges against the Romanian player related to violations of her biological passport.
Throughout her career, Simona Halep has won 25 titles in WTA tournaments, including two Grand Slam victories. She topped the world rankings from October 2017 to January 2019.
Last updated on 22 Aug 2023 - 19:24
