Top-ranked Ash Barty retires from French Open with injury nownews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nownews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Barty had returned to Paris in some of the best form of her career, but there remained question marks over whether her large recent workload had taken its toll on her body. Between her return to competition abroad at the Miami Open in March and Rome in mid-May, she played five tournaments with just one week of rest. Her consistency has been remarkable and she has compiled a 20-3 record during that period, marking her as a tournament favourite, but it had already come at a cost.
Two weeks ago, Barty retired from her quarter-final at the Italian Open with a right arm injury and she has had her thigh strapped in recent matches. But her body had healed by the time she arrived in Paris and her hopes were high as she entered the tournament. Instead, during the weekend on the eve of the tournament, Barty hurt her hip in “an acute incident” as she landed while serving.
Injured Ashleigh Barty calls French Open withdrawal heartbreaking pressandjournal.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressandjournal.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
3:35 p.m.
Gael Monfils has lost in the second round of the French Open and left the host country’s men on the verge of their worst collective result at Roland Garros.
Richard Gasquet needs a maiden victory over 13-time champion Rafael Nadal or there will be no Frenchmen in the third round of their home Grand Slam for the first time in the Open era. Gasquet has a 0-16 record against Nadal.
The 14th-seeded Monfils lost to Mikael Ymer 6-0, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Ymer is the first Swedish man to reach the third round at the French Open since Robin Soderling in 2011.