Victoria Azarenka will not play in the Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) has announced.
The former world number one was due to participate in the charity event set up in support of Ukraine ahead of next week's US Open.
The Belarusian's involvement in the exhibition came under scrutiny from Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk, who subsequently declined the opportunity to compete alongside the likes of Rafael Nadal, Iga Swiatek and John McEnroe.
Azarenka had called for player unity following Russia's Belarus-assisted invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, with the two-time Australian Open winner saying Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players made no sense.
Following the recent criticism led by Kostyuk, who was bemused by the presence of Azarenka, the USTA decided it would be in the best interest of the event if she was not involved.
In a statement, the governing body said: "In the last 24 hours, after careful consideration and dialogue with all parties involved, Victoria Azarenka will not be participating in our 'Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition' this evening [Wednesday].
"Vika is a strong player leader and we appreciate her willingness to participate. Given the sensitivities to Ukrainian players, and the ongoing conflict, we believe this is the right course of action for us."
Raducanu fights through tough Stearns test to progress in Seoul
Emma Raducanu dug deep to grind out a marathon straight-sets victory over Peyton Stearns to progress at the Korea Open on Tuesday.
The Brit, who reached the semi-finals in 2022, needed two tie-breaks to win, holding off Stearns 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) in two hours and 46 minutes.
The play was delayed for 45 minutes due to excessive heat before the pair traded breaks in the opening three games, with Raducanu at one point holding a 4-1 lead before Stearns fought back to force the first tie-break.
Raducanu prevailed but was put straight back under pressure in a lengthy opening game of the second set, saving break point three times to get off the mark.
There was little to separate the two throughout though, as they continued to trade breaks before the 2021 US Open champion found her edge again to take the tie-break.
She will face last year's Korea Open runner-up Yuan Yue in the next round.
Data Debrief: Going the distance
Raducanu was playing her first match since being knocked out of the US Open, and she was certainly made to work for the victory.
It featured a combined tally of 28 break points and 12 breaks of serve, with eight of those coming in a topsy-turvy first set.
Raducanu successfully saved nine of 15 break points compared to seven of 13 for Stearns.
Raducanu named in Great Britain team for Billie Jean King Cup
Emma Raducanu has been named in Great Britain's team for the Billie Jean King Cup finals.
The 2021 US Open winner will be joined by Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart, Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls for the event in Malaga.
Britain defeated France in April to qualify for the knockout stage, with four of the aforementioned five - Watson the exception - taking part.
Captain Anne Keothavong named her five-member team on Monday ahead of the showpiece, which runs from November 13 to 20.
"We are really looking forward to the finals in Malaga after qualifying following our fantastic weekend in France in April," Keothavong said.
"Our team have created excellent memories and put in outstanding performances in this competition in recent years.
"We will relish the opportunity. There is still a lot of tennis to be played, and changes can be made up until the day before our first match."
All 12 teams announced their line-ups on Monday, with Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff notable names not included for Poland and the United States respectively.
World number one Swiatek and world number six Gauff feel they are unable to compete due to a quick turnaround in events to end the year.
US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro is also out of the USA squad.
Canada dump Great Britain out of Davis Cup as Shapovalov, Auger Aliassime win
Canada beat Great Britain to ensure their progress to the Davis Cup Final 8 on Sunday, with Denis Shapovalov beating Dan Evans and Felix Auger Aliassime overcoming Jack Draper.
Canada needed just one point from their final group-stage tie, and Shapovalov did the honours at the first time of asking by beating Evans 6-0 7-5.
Shapovalov won 100% of first-serve points as he dominated an opening set that lasted just 27 minutes, and though Evans came back into the encounter in the second set, a break in the final game sealed the deal for Shapovalov.
With Canada's progress secured, Auger Aliassime then added some gloss by overcoming US Open semi-finalist Draper 7-6 (10-8) 7-5 in a fiercely contested affair.
British pair Neal Skupski and Henry Patten beat Gabriel Diallo and Alexis Galarneau 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 in the doubles, but it was of little consequence with their elimination already certain.
Argentina joined Canada in qualifying from Group D with a sweep of Finland, while Italy finished top of Group A in Bologna, thanks to the efforts of Flavio Cobolli.
He beat Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-3 as the Netherlands were forced to settle for second, after Matteo Berrettini had put the defending champions in the driving seat with a 3-6 6-4 6-4 win against Botic van de Zandschulp.
World number one Jannik Sinner was present to support Berrettini, embracing him after he capped his fightback by converting match point.
Australia and Spain had already sealed qualification from Group B prior to Sunday's matches, while the United States and Germany had clinched their progress from Group C.
The Davis Cup Final 8 will take place in Malaga between November 19 and November 24, with Italy hoping to become the first team to defend the title since the Czech Republic in 2013.
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