Australian tennis player Ellen Perez recently addressed Mirra Andreeva’s absence from the 2025 Toray Pan Pacific Open, a decision that has implications for Andreeva’s competition with Elena Rybakina for the final spot at the 2025 WTA Finals.
Rybakina strengthened her chances of securing a place in the season-ending tournament by winning the 2025 Ningbo Open. Should she reach the semifinals in Tokyo, she will confirm her spot at the WTA Finals.
Why Did Ellen Perez Respond to Mirra Andreeva’s Withdrawal From Tokyo?
Andreeva, who was the top seed at the 2025 Ningbo Open, began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She faced wild card Zhu Lin in her opening match and lost with a scoreline of 6-4, 3-6, 2-6.
The Russian was expected to compete in Tokyo but opted out, thereby providing Rybakina with an opportunity to potentially secure her place at the WTA Finals by reaching the semifinals.
A fan questioned Andreeva’s decision not to compete in Tokyo, especially amidst her fight with Rybakina for the final spot at the 2025 WTA Finals.
“I legit dont understand what happened here with Mirra. She was given an Exemption WC in the middle of the week and then she rescinded it. What on earth is going on with her? its not an easy road for Rybakina to make the Semis’ next week, but still,” a fan posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
In response, Perez stated that Andreeva’s absence from the Toray Pan Pacific Open might be due to visa issues preventing her from playing in Tokyo.
“She doesn’t have the visa to play in Tokyo,” Perez posted on X.
Interestingly, several active players born in Russia have changed their nationality. Rybakina, originally from Moscow, represented Russia in her junior years but has represented Kazakhstan since 2018.
Other players, such as Alexander Bublik, Alexander Shevchenko and Yulia Putintseva, have also switched to Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Daria Kasatkina has changed her nationality to Australia.
Who Will Elena Rybakina Face at the 2025 Toray Pan Pacific Open 2R?
Rybakina is seeded second at the 2025 Toray Pan Pacific Open and will begin her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She is set to face the winner of the first round match between Leylah Fernandez and qualifier Maria Sakkari in her opening match.
In the lead-up to the WTA 500 hard-court tournament in Tokyo, Fernandez competed at the 2025 Japan Women’s Open, where she triumphed over Tereza Valentová in the final to win the tournament, securing her second WTA Tour singles title of the year and her fifth overall.
Meanwhile, Sakkari earned her spot in the main draw of the Toray Pan Pacific Open by winning her match in the qualifiers. She defeated Zeynep Sönmez and Suzan Lamens in the first and second qualifying rounds, respectively, to advance to the main draw.
The winner of the second-round match between Rybakina and either Fernandez or Sakkari will progress to the quarterfinals, where they will face either qualifier Eva Lys, ninth seed Victoria Mboko or wild card Bianca Andreescu.