Karolina Pliskova’s match against Jasmine Paolini at the US Open was called to an abrupt end just minutes after getting underway. The two players were facing off in the second round when an unfortunate incident saw the contest halted after only three points.
Paolini was serving in the opening game with the scores locked at 15-15 when Pliskova stepped awkwardly on her left foot while trying to change directions. She ended up losing the point before limping off the court and asking for a visit from her trainer.
Pliskova, who has reached two Grand Slam finals in the past, removed her shoes and socks before her trainer examined her left foot. Shortly afterwards, she indicated that she could not continue playing and walked off the court at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The nature of the injury was not immediately clear but it was seemingly enough to convince Pliskova that it was not worth playing on. Speaking after the match, Paolini expressed sympathy with her opponent and wished her the best in her recovery process.
“It’s so sad,” said the Italian. “I hope she recovers really soon, because it’s bad to leave the court like this. I don’t know what to say, because we didn’t play a match. It’s not good for tennis.”
The contest only lasted six minutes from start to finish but, remarkably, it was not the shortest match in US Open history. Georges Goven’s win over Chico Hagey in 1972 was halted after just one point when the latter ran into a fence on the edge of the court and broke his leg.
Paolini’s rapid victory over Pliskova came two days after Dan Evans and Karen Khachanov played the longest match of the tournament so far. Evans secured a marathon victory after five sets in a contest which went on for a whopping five hours and 35 minutes.
Elsewhere at the US Open, it was heartbreak for Katie Boulter as she bowed out at the hands of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. The Brit was heard saying ‘everything was horrendous’ to her team at the side of the court and was clearly frustrated by the manner of her loss.
On Wednesday, it ended in defeat for Harriet Dart as she fell in straight sets in her match against Marta Kostyuk. She hit 10 double faults, failed to convert any of her five set points in the first set and was broken three times in the decisive second set.
