Mladenovic removed from US Open because of coronavirus quarantine

NEW YORK (AP) — The top-seeded women’s doubles team was dropped from the U.S. Open because one of the players, Kristina Mladenovic of France, was issued a quarantine notice by public health officials from the county where her tournament hotel is.

Mladenovic was one of seven players placed under extra restrictions during the tournament after contact tracing determined she potentially could have been exposed to COVID-19 by Benoit Paire, the only entrant to test positive.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Saturday that it was removing Mladenovic and her partner, Timea Babos of Hungary, saying it was “obligated to adhere to government guidance.”

Mladenovic and Babos were supposed to play their second-round match against Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Alison Riske of the U.S., who advanced via walkover.

Mladenovic had been allowed to compete until Saturday, playing two matches in singles — she lost in the second round after blowing a 6-1, 5-1 lead — and winning one in doubles.

And the other half-dozen players found to have contact with Paire also played in the tournament, including No. 32 seed Adrian Mannarino in men’s singles, whose match Friday was delayed for more than 2½ hours until it was determined he could play. He lost.

The USTA said the new quarantine orders arrived after Mannarino’s match and meant those players “identified as having prolonged close contact with the infected player will quarantine in their rooms for the remainder of their quarantine period.”

Mary Ellen Laurain, a spokeswoman for the Nassau County Department of Health, said medical privacy rules prevented her from discussing the cases of individual players. But she said 14-day quarantine orders are issued for any person living or staying in the county, including at hotels, who has had contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.