World No.6 Simona Halep retires from the third round of the Wuhan Open 2019 due to an injury on her lower back. Halep was 4-5 down in the first set against the wildcard Elena Rybakina when she was forced to retire from the match.
In the first straight encounter with the Kazakh player, Simona Halep started well with a solid game until the score of 4-2. However, from that moment Simona’s form disappeared. Elena Rybakina then won three consecutive games to be back on serve at 4-5.
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The Romanian then requested the intervention of the physiotherapist, accusing pain in the lumbar area. She came back to serve to stay in the set, however, pain in her lower back prevented her from continuing.
Heal up fast @Simona_Halep, we hope to see you back at the #WuhanOpen! pic.twitter.com/zej0V3P7LY
— Wuhan Open (@wuhanopentennis) September 25, 2019
The Wimbledon champion revealed that she felt a “sharp pain” after hitting a backhand at 4-4 0-30. However, she doesn’t know the extent of the injury yet. Simona Halep also explained that it doesn’t feel like something she’s had before, but it’s in the “same zone”.
Halep was also scheduled to play the doubles match partnering with her compatriot Raluca Olaru against the team of Veronika Kudermetova and Duan Yingying. For her trip to Wuhan, Simona will be rewarded by organizers with a check worth $ 29,695 and 105 WTA points.
The 27-year-old is scheduled to play the 2019 China Open in Bejing, which is scheduled to take place between September 28 and October 6. However, it remains to be seen if she will recover in order to play at the level required for this competition.
On the other hand, Elena Rybakina will face the winner of the match between Aryna Sabalenka and Kiki Bertens in her first premier-level quarterfinals of the 2019 Wuhan Open.
