(Paris) Kazakh Elena Rybakina, defending champion at Wimbledon, withdrew from the French Open before her third round match on Saturday because she is ill.
“I just wanted to give 100%, and obviously I’m far from 100%,” Rybakina said.
“If I can’t breathe, there’s no way I can even run and try to wrestle. »
The fourth seed in the women’s singles in Paris, Rybakina was to face Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo, ranked 132e in the world, as part of the first match of the day on the court of the Philippe-Chatrier stadium.
The duel was due to start at 11:45 a.m. CET, but instead Rybakina sat behind a microphone during a press conference to explain why she was withdrawing from the second of four Grand Slam tournaments. of the season.
PHOTO KAI PFAFFENBACH, REUTERS
“If I can’t breathe, there’s no way I can even run and try to wrestle. »
Speaking as if congested, Rybakina said she was feverish, hadn’t slept well the past two nights and had difficulty breathing during a Saturday warm-up session before her match. She added that a doctor told her that a virus was circulating “here in Paris”.
Victorious in her first two matches of the tournament in two sets, Rybakina was seen as one of the contenders for the title at Roland-Garros. She has won her last 10 outings, including the final of the Italian Open, a preparatory tournament for the French Open, two weeks ago.
His game is all about his power, backed up in part by one of the best serves on the WTA Tour. She also leads the circuit for the number of aces this season.
Last July, she won her first Grand Slam title thanks to her victory over Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon final.
The 23-year-old Rybakina was born in Moscow but has represented Kazakhstan since 2018 when the country offered her funding to support her tennis career.
Rybakina’s withdrawal ensures 26-year-old Sorribes Tormo will enter the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career.
Ruud in the fourth round
Finalist at Roland-Garros against Rafael Nadal last year in Paris, Norway’s Casper Ruud came from behind to defeat China’s Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 in a duel of the third round played on the court of the Suzanne-Lenglen stadium.
PHOTO EMMANUEL DUNAND, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Casper Ruud
Zhang became the first Chinese tennis player to qualify for the third round of the French Open since Kho Sin-Khie in 1937.
Zhang broke service in the opening game and won the first set, frustrating his fourth-seeded rival.
Things didn’t look set to improve for Ruud, who found himself down 0-40 on his serve early in the second set. However, the Norwegian regained his composure and was able to win the second run.
He then upped his game in the next two sets and ended the duel with a forehand parallel to his first match point.