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Injury scare for Wimbledon champion Vondrousova ahead of Australian Open

Vondrousova pulled out of the Adelaide International hours before her scheduled first-round match

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Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova reacts during a match at the United Cup in Perth. — AFP

By AP

Published: Tue 9 Jan 2024, 6:58 PM

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.

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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."

Czech qualifier Katerina Siniakova upset former No. 1-ranked Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 6-1, winning 10 consecutive games after dropping serve early.

Two days after helping Germany win the United Cup final, Laura Siegemund needed almost three hours for her 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-4 win over seventh-seeded Liudmila Samsonova, recovering breaks in the second and third sets.

In the ATP tournament in Adelaide, Australia’s Jordan Thompson followed up his win over Rafael Nadal last week in the Brisbane International quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-2 over Facundo Diaz Acosta to move into second-round match against No. 4-seeded Lorenzo Musetti. Daniel Evans beat Rinky Hijikata 6-3, 6-4.

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AP

Published: Tue 9 Jan 2024, 6:58 PM

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