Markéta Vondroušová’s U.S. Open journey came to an early and unfortunate end on Tuesday.
The unseeded Czech withdrew from the tournament after a practice injury, hours before she was set to face off against No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Vondroušová, 26, winced in pain after a forehand during her afternoon practice session, doubled over in pain and walked gingerly to the sideline.
According to ESPN, she was in tears while her team attended to her courtside.
Sabalenka now moves on to the semifinals, where she’ll face American Jessica Pegula on Thursday in a rematch of the 2024 final.
For Vondroušová, it marks the end of a run that saw her take down No. 32-seeded McCartney Kessler in the second round, seventh-seeded Jasmine Paolini in the third and No. 9 Elena Rybakina in the round of 16.
A former junior World No. 1 who was ranked as high as No. 6 back in 2023, it was a return to form for a player who has struggled with injuries throughout her career.
“So Sorry for Marketa after all she’s been through,” Sabalenka posted to her Instagram Story after finding out the news. “She has been playing amazing tennis and I know how badly this must hurt for her.
“Take care of yourself and I hope you can recover quickly.”
