Britain’s Sonay Kartal felt “helpless” as she was knocked out of the US Open first round in a disappointing day for the nation’s contingent.
Kartal suffered with debilitating cramp in a 6-3 1-6 6-1 defeat against Brazilian 18th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Katie Boulter lost 6-4 6-4 to Ukrainian 27th seed Marta Kostyuk, while qualifier Francesca Jones was beaten 6-0 7-5 by Germany’s Eva Lys.
“It was tough. I’ve never lost a match from cramp before ever – it was a little bit odd for me,” said 23-year-old Kartal, who was making her New York main-draw debut.
A bizarre deciding set saw a limping Kartal trail 3-0 before being handed a lifeline when Haddad Maia’s movement also became hampered by cramping.
Points became slow and laboured in testing conditions – but both players refused to give in.
Haddad Maia lost serve for 3-1 as she could barely walk but recovered sufficiently, helped by the vocal support of a boisterous set of Brazilian fans, to serve out a remarkable victory.
Asked where the cramps were affecting her, Kartal replied: “Where wasn’t I feeling it? Calves, quads, hamstrings and my fingers on the racquet.”