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ninth seed pulled out of tennis'Ìý before her first-round match on Monday after injuring herself last week at the Sydney Classic.

The 27-year-old, a quarter-finalist in 2020, was due to meet Spain's Nuria Parrizas Diaz in a later afternoon clash but was replaced by lucky loser Irina Bara of Romania.

No official reason was given but retired hurt in Sydney last week while playing world number seven Anett Kontaveit.

She called for a timeout after losing the first set and after lengthy treatment on her lower back, forfeited the match.

Missing the Australian Open is a big blow for a player who had a breakthrough 2021, when she won her maiden WTA singles title and surged into the top 10 for the first time.