Clara Tauson collapsed to the ground during her match against Yulia Putinseva at the Guangzhou Open, leaving the court in a wheelchair.
The Danish tennis player took on Kazakhstan’s Putinseva in the second round of the WTA 250 event. Tauson first eliminated sixth seed Linda Fruhvirtova through a straight-sets victory in the first round, 6-2, 7-6 (6).
Tauson got off to a strong start in the Round of 16 match, winning the first set against Putinseva with ease. However, his opponent fought back and took the second set in a tiebreak, forcing a decider. That’s when things fell apart for the World No. 76.
Tauson served a break point in the very first game of the third set when he fell to the ground. The medical team rushed to his assistant but in the end he could not continue the match and retired from the tournament, leaving the Nansha International Tennis Center in a wheelchair.
Tauson has dealt with injuries all season. The 20-year-old picked up an injury after Wimbledon that forced him to take a month off from the sport. Then, in mid-August at the Cleveland Open, she retired in her match against Leylah Fernandez.
Now, just twenty days later, he was forced to retire in another game. Her opponent will face Tatjana Maria in the quarter-finals of the event.
Tennis fans reacted to the news of her difficulties in Guangzhou, with some suggesting she should take longer.
“Clara Tauson collapsed at the beginning of the 3rd set possibly due to overheating, she had to retire and was kicked off the court…she’s been struggling physically lately, needs some rest to sort things out, ” letter to one.
However, some believe that the extreme heat is the reason why Tauson struggled in this tournament.
“NO she was struggling last year!! especially bag pain. Clare lost this fight because of the extreme heat. She will come back because she is a fighter!! GO Clara!!,” commented one.
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