Tomljanovic faces rankings hit after US Open withdrawal

The 30-year-old's scratching is another setback after a season already cruelly ruined by the untimely injury, which struck at the peak of Tomljanovic's career.

She had been poised to be seeded at a grand slam for the first time, at her home major no less, before having to pull out of the Australian Open, then the French Open and Wimbledon.

Last year Tomljanovic ended Serena Williams' storied career in the third round at Flushing Meadows en route to becoming the first Australian since the legendary Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1979 to reach the quarter-finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open in a single season.

This year the three-time grand slam quarter-finalist will depart New York with her ranking set to plummet to No.292 in the world after being unable to play her scheduled second-round clash with fourth seed Elena Rybakina.