US Open: Coronavirus restrictions force Kristina Mladenovic & Timea Babos out of doubles
- Published
Timea Babos (left) and Kristina Mladenovic have won three Grand Slam women's doubles titles together
Top seeds Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos have been withdrawn from the US Open women's doubles because of coronavirus restrictions in New York.
Mladenovic, 27, has been told to quarantine after being in close contact with fellow French player Benoit Paire, who tested positive for coronavirus.
She has already played two singles matches and a doubles match this week.
But the US Tennis Association said the quarantine now prevented her moving from her hotel to Flushing Meadows.
Mladenovic and Hungary's Babos were due to play Canadian-American pair Gabriela Dabrowski and Alison Riske in the second round on Saturday.
Their match was cancelled after public health officials in Nassau County - the part of New York state where the players are staying - issued a quarantine notice on those who have been in close contact with Paire.
However, French 32nd seed Adrian Mannarino - another player in the group - was allowed to play his third-round singles match against Germany's Alexander Zverev on Friday after lengthy discussions.
On Sunday, Paire was replaced in the men's singles draw by Spain's Marcel Granollers at the behind-closed-doors Grand Slam.
A number of other players were put in what Mladenovic described as "a bubble in the bubble". Her movements were restricted as she was in a group of players who played cards with Paire in a hotel lobby.
"All persons who were identified as having prolonged close contact with the infected player will quarantine in their rooms for the remainder of their quarantine period," said the USTA, which has not officially named Paire.
"Kristina Mladenovic is one of these individuals, and as the women's doubles competition has begun, the women's doubles team of Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos has been withdrawn from the US Open."
A USTA spokesman said the quarantine notice was issued on Friday evening and that the tournament was not expecting any other withdrawals.
Mladenovic and Babos won the most recent Grand Slam women's doubles title at the Australian Open in January, which was their third major title together.