Top seed collapses at Memphis Classic in – Sports News
Ekaterina Alexandrova withdrew from her first-round match at the Memphis Classic after collapsing on court docket. The world No. 19, who entered the event as prime seed, confronted Kristina Liutova in the opening spherical.
She was down 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 5-4 when the match was immediately halted because the 31-year-old skilled a medical emergency.
Alexandrova seemed to be battling the acute heat, with temperatures climbing to 34 levels Celsius during the competition. While serving in the second set, she was penalized with a time violation for exceeding the serve time restrict.
Moments afterward, she fell to the ground, prompting courtside medical personnel to hurry in and ship instant care.
It quickly grew to become clear that Alexandrova can be unable to hold on, and she or he was escorted off in a wheelchair, giving Liutova her maiden victory on the WTA Tour.
The 16-year-old, nevertheless, was in no body of thoughts to rejoice underneath the circumstances. She was visibly distressed by what had unfolded and broke down in tears on the court docket.
Liutova will meet Maya Joint in the second spherical of the Memphis Classic and can draw appreciable confidence from her efficiency in opposition to Alexandrova regardless of the match’s abrupt ending.
She was competing in her debut WTA primary draw match, confronting a top-100 opponent for the primary time and on the verge of a main upset when play was suspended. Meanwhile, former world No. 1 Venus Williams endured her thirteenth consecutive singles loss, falling to Anastasia Potapova in Washington.
She was defeated in straight units, with the disparity in efficiency obvious from the opening sport, as Williams did not secure a single break level alternative.
The veteran has but to register a win in 2026, dropping all 9 of her singles matches because the begin of the yr.
Williams gained a respectable 78.4 per cent of factors on her first serve in opposition to Potapova, however managed solely 24.1 per cent on second serves and 20 per cent on return factors.
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