Half of the players scheduled to compete in the upcoming tennis tournament in Hong Kong have withdrawn due to injuries, with organizers offering full refunds to ticket holders.
The event, making its Asian debut at Kai Tak Sports Arena from Tuesday, has lost four of its eight players including top seed Alex de Minaur (world No. 7), Jakub Mensik (world No. 19), Tomas Machac (world No. 30), and Nicholas Kyrgios. De Minaur, already in Hong Kong, withdrew after sustaining an injury during last week's Shanghai Masters.
Tournament founder Patrick Mouratoglou acknowledged injuries as unavoidable in physically demanding sports, particularly during the long season's final stages. De Minaur expressed disappointment but noted ongoing pain prevented his participation.
Organizers have sold over 80% of the 5,000 daily seats. Ticket holders can request full refunds before 4 pm on October 14 through the official website www.tennishk.org or by email from October 13 noon.
