Canada’s Bianca Andreescu was forced to retire with a shoulder injury in her Thailand Open semi-final duel against Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko to reach a first final in four years on the WTA Tour.
Tsurenko, seeking his fifth career title, was leading 7-5, 4-0 when tournament favorite Andreescu stopped playing with a shot in the right shoulder.
The Ukrainian, who once ranked 23rd in the world but is currently ranked 136th, trailed 5-3 in the first set before winning eight straight games.
Tsurenko has not won since his coronation in Acapulco in 2018. His last final dates back to the Brisbane tournament in 2019.
In the final, she will face China’s Lin Zhu, who saw off her seventh-placed compatriot Xinyu Wang 6-2, 6-4 in the other semi-final match punctuated by numerous unforced errors.
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