Injury scare for Wimbledon champion Vondrousova ahead of Australian Open

Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova withdrew from the Adelaide International on Tuesday citing a right hip injury, five days before the Australian Open starts in Melbourne.

The No. 7-ranked Vondrousova pulled out of the tournament hours before her scheduled first-round match against Russian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Taylor Townsend took her place in the draw and beat Sasnovich 6-3, 7-6 (4) in a night match. She had played doubles earlier and was getting a massage when an alert came through that she had been elevated to the singles main draw.

“It was crazy because I was in the training room getting a massage. I was nice and relaxed. I was already showered, changed clothes,” she said. “You never know what can happen. You just have to be ready.”

Sixth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko was broken while serving for the match at 5-2 in the third set and missed two match points in the next game before finally fending off Sorana Cirstea 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

The 2017 French Open champion will next play Caroline Garcia, who beat local wildcard entry Taylah Preston, Australia, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

“I feel like I was sleeping in the first set,” Ostapenko said. “I’m not a morning person; I needed time to get into the match. When I start to take time and be a bit more calm, I play better."

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