Defending champion Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the Italian Open due to illness, the tournament said on Friday.

The Wimbledon 2022 champion's withdrawal was announced hours before she was scheduled to begin her title defence against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu.

Kazakhstan's Rybakina would be replaced by Frenchwoman Oceane Dodin, the tournament said in a post on X. "We wish our 2023 champion a speedy recovery," they added.

World number four Rybakina is scheduled to play in the French Open later this month. REUTERS