2022 champ Iga Swiatek out of Miami Open with rib injury

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Defending champion Iga Swiatek has pulled out of the Miami Open because of a rib injury. The No. 1-ranked Swiatek was supposed to face Claire Liu in the second round on Thursday. Instead, Liu’s opponent will be 94th-ranked Julia Grabher. As a seeded player, Swiatek received a first-round bye in the hard-court tournament she won a year ago during a 37-match unbeaten run that was the longest in women’s tennis in a quarter of a century. Swiatek said after a 6-2, 6-2 loss to eventual champion Elena Rybakina in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals Friday that her rib was bothering her. The 21-year-old from Poland also will sit out her country’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier matches against Kazakhstan on April 13-14.