Ekaterina Alexandrova collapsed on court in the third set of her WTA Tour match against Kristina Liutova at the Memphis Tennis Classic.
Alexandrova, who was top seed at the tournament, was 5-4 down in the third set of a three-hour match in temperatures that reached 34 degrees Celsius, when the match had to be stopped and she had a lengthy treatment.
The world No 19 Alexandrova couldn’t continue, though, and was forced to retire – handing 16-year-old Liutova victory in her debut match on the WTA Tour.
The teenager was seen in tears at the conclusion of the match. She will next play American Maya Joint in the Round of 16.
Sky Sports News has contacted the WTA for comment.
Hewitt, 17, wins first ATP Tour match in Washington DC
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Cruz Hewitt won his first ATP Tour match against Marcos Giron
Former world No 1 Leyton Hewitt’s son Cruz Hewitt won his first match on the ATP Tour at the Mubadala DC Open, beating Marcos Giron 6-3 6-4 in the first round.
Cruz Hewitt, who was born in 2008, becomes the youngest player to win a match at the DC Open since Kei Nishikori in 2007, with Nishikori, now 36, winning his first match at this year’s edition of the tournament on Monday.
As a result, Cruz Hewitt has risen 255 places, from No 612 to No 357, and faces fellow Australian and world No 6 Alex de Minaur, or world No 51 Stefanos Tsitsipas next.
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