Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen pulls out of the US Open after elbow surgery

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NEW YORK (AP) — Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen withdrew from the U.S. Open on Monday, two days after announcing she had arthroscopic surgery on her right elbow because of “persistent pain.”

The sixth-ranked Zheng was coming off a first-round loss at Wimbledon last month.

“Over the past months, I’ve been dealing with persistent pain in my right elbow during training and matches,” the right-handed 22-year-old from China said on social media Saturday. “Despite trying various treatments to manage it, the discomfort never fully went away.”

Zheng said she anticipated her recovery would take months, so the exit from the year's last Grand Slam tournament was not a surprise. The U.S. Open begins Aug. 24.

She was replaced in the field by France's Leolia Jeanjean.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis