Feb 21, 2012 - Three top 10 Women's Tennis Association (WTA) players, two of whom are Grand Slam champions, have pulled out of next week's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates, the tournament organizers said.
2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová, 2011 French Open Champion Li Na and Vera Zvonareva have all withdrawn from the tournament due to either illness or injury.
Tournament organizers gave no other details.
Kvitová is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, while Zvonareva is No. 8. Li rounds out the group at No. 9.
Despite the loss of three world greats, Dubai will still feature other Grand Slam champions. World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka will play in the tournament, which begins Monday, Feb. 27. She is the tournament's top seed. 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur is also in the draw, as is former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki.
Wozniacki is the Dubai tournament's defending champion.
The men's and women's tennis lineups can be found here.
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