Just hours before US Open quarterfinalist Marketa Vondrousova was set to take the court against WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the 2023 Wimbledon winner withdrew from the tournament with an injury.
ESPN‘s Kris Budden first reported the story on Tuesday’s US Open broadcast, revealing that Vondrousova sustained an injury in practice that was caught on camera.
After abruptly ending her practice session, the USTA confirmed that Vondrousova had withdrawn from Tuesday’s match.
“Vondrousova was supposed to be practicing here on Ash right now. She had an earlier practice. … She goes out to the practice court, and when she was taking a forehand, she came up from funny. … You see her kind of wince. … That was the last shot that she would hit of this practice that lasted less than five minutes. She eventually went over to the bench where she sat for a while with her team. There were tears.”
Footage of the incident in practice, which occurred at 4 p.m. local time (1 p.m. PT) can be seen included in ESPN’s coverage below, as well as footage of Sabalenka being informed of the news.
https://x.com/espn/status/1962989549774098501
The US Open then confirmed the news via Twitter.
“Marketa Vondrousova has withdrawn from the Women’s Singles event with an injury. A revised schedule for tonight’s evening session will follow shortly.”
https://x.com/usopen/status/1962988981101948940
As a result, Sabalenka will receive a walkover in the quarterfinals and will meet Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.
Aryna Sabalenka Reacts to Marketa Vondrousova Withdrawal
After being told that her quarterfinal match on Arthur Ashe tonight was cancelled, WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka took to Instagram to react to the news via Instagram.
@ArynaSabalenka – InstagramAryna Sabalenka wishes Marketa Vondrousova well after US Open withdrawal.
“So sorry for Marketa after all she’s been through. She has been playing amazing tennis and I know how badly this must hurt for her.
“Take care of yourself and I hope you can recover quickly. Love Aryna”
Prior to her withdrawal on Tuesday, Vondrousova had been on an absolute tear in Flushing Meadows, eliminating No. 7-seeded Jasmine Paolini in the third round, and No. 9-seeded Elena Rybakina in the Round of 16.
Looking at Vondrousova’s Big Return This Season
After winning Wimbledon in 2023, Marketa Vondrousova wound up suffering a first-round exit in 2024, with reports suggesting that she dealt with shoulder pain.
After then withdrawing from the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2024 US Open, Vondrousova underwent shoulder surgery last summer.
Marketa Vondrousova then returned to action in February of this year after missing the Australian Open, however, she continued to struggle in early rounds at key tournaments until a sensational run at the Berlin Grass Court Championships in June, where she defeated Madison Keys, Diana Shnaider, Ons Jabeur, and Aryna Sabalenka en route to a title.
While speaking to WTATennis.com following the win, she opened up on how difficult it was to come back from shoulder surgery:
“I started to practice again, two or three months after surgery. And the pain came back. That was the hardest part about it, that it wasn’t good even after the surgery. You have to come back every time, so in your mind it’s like, `Can I do that again? Can I play with these girls again?’ I feel like you never know.
“It started again and I was like, `Guys, I cannot play like this.’ So then we had to stop and then we did a lot of exercising and stuff. It was very tiring to do that twice a day without tennis. So I had to stay positive. I always believed I can play again. But in our minds it was like — does it ever stop and will I be back? That was the thing I was thinking: Maybe I’ll never play again without pain.”
Given how significant the injury proved to be, and how dominant she’s looked since returning, hopefully we get to see Marketa Vondrousova back in action sooner rather than later.
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