Hungarian Tennis Player Excluded from US Open

Hungary's Tímea Babos – along with doubles partner French Kristina Mladenovic – has been excluded from the ongoing US Open tennis tournament with the organizers citing coronavirus regulations.

According to a statement by the US Tennis Association, "public health officials of Nassau County, N.Y., have issued quarantine notices for all individuals who had prolonged close contact to a person who previously tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. As the players are staying in Nassau County, the quarantine notices prevent any of these individuals from commuting to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. The USTA is obligated to adhere to government guidance at the State, City and County level."

The statement adds that 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. 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as the Women’s Doubles competition has begun, the women’s doubles team of Kristina Mladenovic and Tímea Babos has been withdrawn from the US Open.

Two years ago, Babos and Mladenovic were in the women's doubles final of this tournament and were among the favorites this time, also as they won the women's doubles final at another Grans Slam tournament, the Australian Open early this year.