World quantity 19 Ekaterina Alexandrova collapsed on court and needed to retire from her first-round match on the Memphis Classic attributable to excessive temperatures.
Russian Alexandrova, who was the primary seed, was trailing 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 5-4 towards 16-year-old compatriot Kristina Liutova in a match the place temperatures reached 34C.
The match was initially paused as Alexandrova tried to proceed, earlier than she obtained a time violation as she took too lengthy to serve amid her struggles.
But in the course of the following level, Alexandrova fell to the bottom and wanted fast medical consideration.
The 31-year-old was effectively sufficient to face however needed to forfeit the match, which had lasted greater than three hours.
It gave Liutova victory in her debut match on the WTA tour, however the teenager was left in tears on court amid the chaotic scenario.
Elsewhere in ladies’s tennis, Venus Williams misplaced within the first spherical of the Mubadala DC Open in Washington DC on Tuesday.
The 46-year-old, whose final singles win got here at this occasion final yr, was crushed 6-3 6-3 by Austria’s Anastasia Potapova.
Williams received 78.4% of her first serve factors however simply 24.1% from her second serve, and 20% of her returns.
