The third and tenth rackets of the world withdrew from the WTA500 series tournament in Berlin. Why?
In the capital of Germany, Berlin, the WTA500 series tournament is underway. Today, the quarterfinal matches are scheduled to take place.
Two matches started simultaneously. In the first pair, the world number two, Coco Gauff from the USA, faced Ons Jabeur from Tunisia, who is ranked tenth in the WTA rankings.
The players started the match confidently, taking the first set to a tiebreak, which the American won 7-6 (11-9). After this, Jabeur called for medical assistance and, after having her temperature checked, decided to retire from the match, granting Gauff a spot in the semifinals.
At the same time, the world number 24, Anna Kalinskaya, played against the world number three, Aryna Sabalenka. It is noteworthy that both athletes do not represent any country.
During the first set, Sabalenka took a medical timeout due to pain in her right shoulder. After losing the fifth game to her opponent, the world number three decided to retire from the match, giving Kalinskaya the victory. This withdrawal marked Sabalenka's first career retirement during a match.
In the semifinals, Coco Gauff will meet the winner of the match between world number five Jessica Pegula from the USA and Czech player Katerina Siniakova, who is ranked 30th in the WTA rankings. Anna Kalinskaya, on the other hand, will face the "neutral" player, world number 19 Victoria Azarenka, in the semifinals.
Liam Garcia
Dailysports's expert
