Marketa Vondrousova retires with injury in Berlin; Rybakina sets up clash with Azarenka

Berlin: Reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova had to retire from her second-round match at the Berlin Ladies Open with a right hip injury. The World No.6 was leading Anna Kalinskaya 5-3 in the first set when she slipped and fell after a split-step on the first point of the ninth game.

Holding her right hip area, Vondrousova walked to her bench under her own power and received off-court medical treatment. She returned to play two games before retiring with the set tied at 5-5.

Vondrousova will have less than two weeks to recover ahead of her title defense at Wimbledon title defense, which begins on July 1.

Kalinskaya advanced to the quarterfinals and will face either No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka or Daria Kasatkina.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina enjoyed a more fortunate day. The No.3 seed came from a break down in the second set to defeat Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 7-5 in her tournament opener.

Into her 10th quarterfinal of the season, Rybakina will face former No.1 Victoria Azarenka on Friday. A win would boost her into her first grass-court semifinal since her Wimbledon title. Rybakina kept consistent pressure on Kudermetova throughout the 1-hour and 33-minute match, generating 11 break points while seeing just three on her own serve. Rybakina broke first for a 2-0 lead but was broken when she served for the set at 5-3. She responded with her second break of the match to close the opening set.

Kudermetova built a 3-1 lead early in the second set but buckled under Rybakina's return pressure. Rybakina closed out the win by leveling the set and then, with Kudermetova serving to force a tiebreak, broke serve for a fourth and final time to seal a spot in her first Berlin quarterfinal.

Rybakina finished with 18 winners, including five aces, to 16 unforced errors.

The victory improved Rybakina's unbeaten record against Kudermetova to 5-0. She will face a similar task against Azarenka, against whom she is undefeated at 4-0. IANS

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