World No2 Simona Halep has become the latest star to withdraw from next week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The Australian open runner-up, who progressed through to the semi-finals of the Qatar Total Open on Friday, announced after her victory against CiCi Bellis that she would not be able to complete the tournament nor compete in the UAE.

The Romanian cited a foot issue as the reason why – an MRI showed fluid and tendinitis – and revealed she will not play again until at least Indian Wells, which begins in early March.

“I am surprised that I could play three matches and to win them. I felt pain every day, so it was not easy to manage it,” Halep, who had initially accepted a wildcard for Dubai, told a press conference in Doha. “I didn’t have much time to recover before this tournament, but today was too much, and I decided to stop.”

BREAKING: @Simona_Halep has withdrawn from @QatarTennis and @DDFTennis due to a foot injury–> https://t.co/Rmpwjq4h3H pic.twitter.com/OpWtUeTthI

— WTA (@WTA) February 16, 2018