NEW YORK – Defending champion Area Sabalenka returned to the US Open semi-finals with out hitting the ball on Tuesday evening.
“I attempted my finest to take you to courtroom right now, however I felt my knee once more through the warm-up and after consultations with the event docs, I made a decision to not danger exacerbating my accidents,” stated Vondosova, a 26-year-old left-hander from the Czech Republic. “We want to thank all of the help on this event and apologize to the followers who have been wanting ahead to the match.”
Vondrousova’s consultant advised ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez that he suffered accidents earlier than his three-set victory towards 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Riakina, and Bondrousova performed throughout his fourth match on Sunday evening.
In line with USTA, Vondrousova is the primary girl to provide her opponent a walkover within the quarterfinals since 1988 when Steffi Graf reached the finals after Chris Evert did not play within the semifinals.
Sabalenka will now meet No. 4 Jessica Pegra in Thursday’s semi-finals. That is the rematch of final 12 months’s championship match at Flushing Meadows, the place Sabalenka received the straight set.
That is the primary time Sabalenka has made progress within the majors by Walkover or retirement.
“In spite of everything, I am sorry to have been to Marka that she has skilled,” Sabalenka wrote on social media. “She performs superb tennis, and I understand how badly this hurts her.”
Sabalenka advised ESPN’s Chris Badden that she was “shocked” by the information after seeing Vondrousova heat up and seeing him hoped he would get better rapidly within the locker room.
Vondrousova was as excessive as sixth within the WTA rankings, however a sequence of accidents over time led her to complete the tour for stretches without delay. This included wrist and shoulder wrist surgical procedure final 12 months in 2022.
She entered the unseeded US Open at sixtieth.
“This place may be very particular to me. Only a 12 months in the past I had surgical procedure and I do not even know if I’ve returned or not,” Vondrousova wrote in her Instagram story. “To return right here, compete once more and luxuriate in such a ravishing match means greater than the phrases say.”
The ultimate two ladies’s quarter-final match is scheduled for Wednesday: No. 2 Iga Swiatek vs. 8 Amanda Anisimova – It was the rematch of final month’s Wimbledon Finals, with Swiatek profitable 6-0, 6-0.
It was Osaka’s first Grand Slam quarterfinal since Australia’s opening in 2021, and she or he claimed her fourth main trophy.
ESPN analysis and Related Press contributed to this report.
