The organisers of the BGL BNP Paribas Open women's tennis tournament taking place in Kockelscheuer from 13-20 October 2018 have announced that two star attractions have withdrawn from the tournament.

Venus Williams (USA) and Victoria Azarenka (BLR) will not be able to compete in Luxembourg. According to Venus Williams' management, her knee injury has not improved and she will not play for the remainder of the season. And as for Victoria Azarenka, the reason given was "She did not feel well in Tokyo and has decided to end her season abruptly. She has had a challenging past 18 months, mostly off the court, which took its toll at the end of the season".

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) and Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) are the next players to qualify for the main draw.

For details, including ticketing, see www.bglbnpparibas-open.lu