Hong Kong - April's Xian Open tennis was cancelled on Thursday, the WTA Tour said, becoming the latest sporting event to fall victim to the new coronavirus outbreak in China.

More than 2,100 people have died from the virus, most of them in China, where a raft of sports tournaments have been cancelled or postponed in recent weeks.

The Xian Open, a lower-level 125K event on the WTA Tour, was scheduled to take place on April 13-19.

It also puts into doubt the Kunming Open, another 125K tournament, which starts on April 27.

"Our thoughts are with everyone in China during this difficult time and we look forward to the WTA Tour events that are scheduled to take place this fall," said a WTA statement.

"We are watching the situation closely as there isn't anything more important than protecting the health of our players, WTA and event staff, and our fans.

"We continue to communicate with medical experts as information evolves on this virus and we will work closely with them to monitor the situation."

The Chinese Formula One Grand Prix, which was supposed to take place on April 19, was postponed last week.