Defending champion Iga Swiatek sets up French Open last eight with Coco Gauff | Tennis News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Defending champion and world no.1 Iga Swiatek reached French Open quarters on Monday after her Ukrainian opponent Lesia Tsurenko retired, feeling unwell, just 31 minutes into the contest.
Swiatek was 5-1 ahead in the first set when the 66th-ranked Tsurenko called the trainer after experiencing dizziness and shortness of breath. She subsequently decided not to continue the match.
Swiatek will now be up against Coco Gauff, who reached the quarters for a third successive year with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia. Last year Swiatek defeated Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in the final to win the title for a second time.
“I’m sorry, playing Iga was my priority, I’m very sorry,” Tsurenko told a press conference.
“I’ve had this virus for a couple of days and today it was tough for me to warm up and I hoped I would feel better during the match but unfortunately it got worse. My body could not take it.
“I was fine at my last match although I started to have a sore throat and then yesterday I could practice for only 10 minutes. I had litres of water and healthy things, vitamins, a lot of fruits. I need another two, three days to recover.”
Wearing a ribbon in the Ukrainian colours pinned to her cap while Tsurenko had one on her top, Swiatek raced to a 4-0 lead as the world number 66 started to show signs of weakness.
She still managed to pull a break back but requested the trainer to come on court as she sat down on her bench at the change of ends.
She was seen explaining her problems to the medical staff and after being given the green light to continue, it soon became evident that she was struggling to play her shots and ended the match prematurely.
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Swiatek was 5-1 ahead in the first set when the 66th-ranked Tsurenko called the trainer after experiencing dizziness and shortness of breath. She subsequently decided not to continue the match.
Swiatek will now be up against Coco Gauff, who reached the quarters for a third successive year with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia. Last year Swiatek defeated Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in the final to win the title for a second time.
“I’m sorry, playing Iga was my priority, I’m very sorry,” Tsurenko told a press conference.
“I’ve had this virus for a couple of days and today it was tough for me to warm up and I hoped I would feel better during the match but unfortunately it got worse. My body could not take it.
“I was fine at my last match although I started to have a sore throat and then yesterday I could practice for only 10 minutes. I had litres of water and healthy things, vitamins, a lot of fruits. I need another two, three days to recover.”
Wearing a ribbon in the Ukrainian colours pinned to her cap while Tsurenko had one on her top, Swiatek raced to a 4-0 lead as the world number 66 started to show signs of weakness.
She still managed to pull a break back but requested the trainer to come on court as she sat down on her bench at the change of ends.
She was seen explaining her problems to the medical staff and after being given the green light to continue, it soon became evident that she was struggling to play her shots and ended the match prematurely.
Swiatek has dropped only nine games en route to the quarter-finals as she chases a third Roland Garros title in four years.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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