INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Elena Rybakina, the defending champion here at the BNP Paribas Open, withdrew from the tournament Friday before she played a match.

The 24-year-old from Kazakhstan cited a gastrointestinal illness. She’ll be replaced by lucky qualifying loser Kayla Day -- who will play Nadia Podoroska in the last match on Friday’s schedule.

"Those close to me know how much this tournament means to me and how much I wanted to come back and defend my title," Rybakina said in a statement. 

A year ago, no one was better in the desert. Rybakina defeated World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals and No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. She dropped only one set along the way, to Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals.

Rybakina started the 2024 in blazing fashion. She won the Brisbane title, hammering Sabalenka 6-0, 6-3 in the final. After losing in the second round at the Australian Open, she won the title in Abu Dhabi and reached the final in the WTA 1000 in Doha, falling to Swiatek.

Playing her third consecutive tournament in Dubai, Rybakina withdrew before her quarterfinal match, again citing an illness. That granted eventual champion Jasmine Paolini a walkover. The withdrawal at Indian Wells was Rybakina's second in a span of 16 days.

On Wednesday, Rybakina told reporters, “Physically, I’m ready and I can play good. You never know how it’s going to go. Lot of good players. We’ll see.”

Rybakina, who is 17-3 in 2024, and Jelena Ostapenko are the only two players with multiple titles this season.