American tennis player Madison Keys’ had to pay a heavy cost for her maiden Australian Open title as she was forced to skip the ATX Open due to a bizarre WTA rule.
According to Tennis365, Keys, who lifted her first-ever Grand Slam trophy after defeating the two-time defending champion Aryana Sabalenka, would not be able to play in the ATX Open in Texas due to the WTA’s top 10 rule for WTA 250 events.
In a statement, the ATX Open organisers said, “As a 250-level tournament, the ATX Open is permitted to feature just one Top 10 player unless the defending champion returns as a Top 10 ranked player. Only in that circumstance could two Top 10 players compete in our tournament. This helps to ensure balanced competition across all WTA events held during the same week.”
“With World No. 6 Jessica Pegula already committed to the event, WTA rules prevent us from having a second Top 10 player in the draw. When we entered an agreement with Madison, her ranking was World No. 21. Now with her title wins in both Adelaide and Melbourne, her ranking has moved to World No. 7. As a result of her new ranking, Madison will, unfortunately, not be able to compete in this year’s ATX Open,” it continued.
Moreover, the tournament director, Christo van Rensburg, revealed that they have been waiting for Keys to play “in Austin for the first time” and wished that “the Top 10 rule didn’t apply to our tournament.”
Rensburg added that they cannot wait to invite Keys to the next ATX Opens, and at the same time, they are “excited” to welcome Jessica to her first-ever ATX Open.
