US Open 2021: Johanna Konta pulls out before first-round match

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Since winning the Nottingham title in June, Konta has only played three matches in two tournaments in Montreal or Cincinnati.

US Open 2021 Dates : 30 August-12 September Venue : Flushing Meadows New York. Coverage : Daily radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra/BBC Sport website, app. Also, live text commentaries and match report on the app.

Johanna Konta, British number one, has pulled out from the US Open after suffering a thigh injury. This happened just hours before she was due to play her first match on Monday.

Konta, aged 30, was scheduled to meet Kristina Malovic from France at around 22:00 BST.

Konta was also unfortunate, as she missed Wimbledon due to a coronavirus contact.

Heather Watson will replace her as British number one and she is expected to drop out the world's top fifty.

Konta was also hampered by illness and injury. Konta also split from coach Dimitri Zavialoff in what has been an extremely difficult year.

She beat Elina Svitolina, the world number five from Ukraine in Montreal earlier this month. However, she pulled out of her next match against Coco Gauff, an American teenager.

Konta, who made it to the quarter-finals of the US Open in 2019, was back at action at the Western Open and Southern Open two weeks ago. She lost to Czech Katerina Manyova in three sets.

Emma Raducanu, the 13th seed and Australian Open runner up, has withdrawn from the first round due to a knee injury.

Instead, the British teenager will play Swiss world number 128 Stefanie Vegele in her overseas Grand Slam debut.

Raducanu, 18 years old, is looking to build on her Wimbledon achievements - where she reached 16 as a wildcard after qualifying in New York.

Raducanu will now face Vogele, who was initially set to play American Brady at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday.