Muchova, 2025 finalist Paolini to miss Cincinnati Open with injuries

World No. 6 Karolina Muchova and No. 15 Jasmine Paolini will miss the 2026 Cincinnati Open with continuing injuries. Neither player has compete since respective runs to the final and quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

Paolini has been dealing with a nagging left foot injury that also forced her to withdraw from the Mubadala DC Open and National Bank Open. She'll miss Cincinnati, where she reached the championship in 2025 in an eventual defeat to Iga Swiatek. 

"We've decided that I won't be in Cincinnati either," Paolini wrote in an Instagram story. "After last year's final, I was really looking forward to being back, but now the focus is on being 100% ready for the US Open and rest of the season. Thank you for your support."

As for Muchova, she's been sidelined since undergoing a small procedure following Wimbledon, but the nature of the procedure was not clear. Muchova had said that she would miss a "few weeks," but did not formally withdraw from Cincinnati until Friday.

In 2025, Muchova reached the third round, falling to Varvara Gracheva in straight sets.

Muchova and Paolini are joined by Jaqueline Cristian and Lois Boisson as additional withdrawals. Kamilla Rakhimova, Maria Timofeeva, Taylor Townsend and Simona Waltert have moved into the main draw. 

The Cincinnati Open main draw begins on Thursday, August 13 and concludes with the singles final on Sunday, August 23.