Sad news for fans of Amanda Anisimova who will no longer see the tennis ace in action in Abu Dhabi.

The 18-year-old rising tennis star has had to pull out from competing at Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) due to an injury.

Amanda, who was up against Russian superstar Maria Sharapova on the first day of the tournament will now be replaced by Australian Fed Cup finalist Ajla Tomljanović.

Both Maria and Amanda are first-timers in the tournament and it will be the first encounter between the two players.

Ajla — who has more than 300 WTA singles victories under her name — will be the first Australian tennis player to hit the MWTC court.

“I’ve heard amazing things about Abu Dhabi and the championship, and I’m really looking forward to playing in front of this crowd against Maria. It will give the perfect challenge ahead of a big season,” said Ajla.

This year’s edition of MWTC will be big, with five of the world’s top 10 male players participating: World No. 1 Rafael Nadal; No. 2 Novak Djokovic; No.5 Daniil Medvedev; No.6 Stefanos Tsitsipas and No. 10 Gael Monfils.

Korean tennis star Hyeon Chung is also confirmed to play, adding more star power to the annual Abu Dhabi tournament.

The 11th edition of the tennis tournament will take place from 19th to 21st December at Abu Dhabi’s International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City.

Aside from the matches, spectators will also enjoy a host of exciting sideshows for three days.

Tickets start from AED 100. For more information and to buy tickets, visit: mubadalawtc.com, ticketmaster.ae