June 22, (THEWILL) – The Berlin Open witnessed a dramatic series of events as top-ranked players Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur retired from their quarter-final matches on Saturday. Their withdrawals follow those of Wimbledon champions Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova earlier in the week, casting uncertainty over the grass-court tournament.
World number two Sabalenka abandoned her match against Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya due to shoulder pain, trailing 5-1 in the opening set. This marks the first time in her WTA Tour career that Sabalenka has withdrawn from a match due to injury. Kalinskaya’s path to the semi-finals has been unusual, having already benefited from a walkover when Vondrousova slipped and fell during their last-16 encounter.
Jabeur’s retirement came after a gruelling 72-minute first set against American Coco Gauff, which the latter won 7-6(9). The Tunisian world number six was seen having her temperature checked before ultimately withdrawing due to illness. Gauff, while progressing to the semi-finals, expressed mixed emotions about her victory, stating: “It doesn’t feel like a win, especially because we had such a great first set.”
Friday saw defending Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina pull out of the tournament citing illness, sending Victoria Azarenka through to the semi-finals. Rybakina had been visibly struggling with what appeared to be abdominal pains during her previous match.
These retirements raise questions about the players’ fitness as the grass-court season progresses towards Wimbledon. Gauff remained optimistic about Jabeur’s prospects, saying: “I think she’ll be strong at Wimbledon.” However, with multiple top-10 players facing health issues, the competitive landscape for the upcoming Grand Slam may be more unpredictable than initially anticipated.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
