Keys withdrawn from Madrid Open with illness

MADRID — World No. 17 Madison Keys pulled out of the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open on Friday morning, citing an illness. Lucky loser Anastasia Potapova will change Keys within the fourth quarter of the draw, and face Zhang Shuai within the second spherical, the primary match in Stadium 3 at La Caja Mágica Friday.

Keys started her WTA Driven by Mercedes-Benz clay-court season in Charleston just a few weeks in the past, reaching the semifinals. However, with her withdrawal, her red-clay debut this season should wait till the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, the place she is subsequent scheduled to compete in May. In Madrid, she reached the quarterfinals in 2025 and semifinals in 2024, her two high finishes on the occasion in her profession.

The American turns into the third seeded participant to drag out of the occasion, becoming a member of compatriot and No. 6 seed Amanda Anisimova in addition to No. 11 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who each pulled out as a consequence of harm. Keys’ semifinal run within the Lowcountry, the place she earned her highest-ranked win within the season vs. Belinda Bencic, was her finest to this point in 2026.

Keys additionally had runs to the quarterfinals in Brisbane and Adelaide in addition to the fourth spherical on the Australian Open. She entered because the defending champion in each Adelaide and Melbourne.

Prior to the primary draw’s begin, different withdrawals included Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal, who will miss the complete clay-court swing as a consequence of a again harm. France’s Varvara Gracheva may also miss the complete clay-court season after tearing her ACL in apply session in March. Furthermore, Australia’s Maya Joint (again), Emma Navarro (illness), Emma Raducanu and Marketa Vondrousouva additionally pulled out previous to the occasion.