World number 19 Ekaterina Alexandrova collapsed on the court during her match against 16-year-old Kristina Liutova at the Memphis Tennis Classic. The Russian star was trailing 7-6, 4-6, 5-4 and Liutova was serving for the match when the three-hour contest was cut short. Alexandrova asked for a medic and fell to the ground.
The match had been paused earlier as Alexandrova tried to continue but received a time violation for taking too long to serve. With temperatures in Memphis reaching around 34°C, the 31-year-old's collapse appeared heat-related. She received lengthy treatment on court, was forced to retire, and was taken off in a wheelchair with a towel draped around her neck, drinking water.
Historic win overshadowed by collapse
Liutova's victory marked her WTA Tour debut, making her the second tennis player born in 2010 to win a tour-level match. However, she was in no mood for celebrating as Alexandrova received treatment. Liutova burst into tears courtside and was comforted by family members and supporters before Alexandrova left the court. The 16-year-old will face Australian star Maya Joint in the last-16 on Thursday afternoon.
Other tennis results
Alexandrova had entered the Memphis Tennis Classic as the number one seed. Elsewhere, Venus Williams was knocked out in the first round of the Mubadala DC Open in Washington DC on Tuesday, losing 6-3, 6-3 to Anastasia Potapova. This was her last singles win at the event last year. Meanwhile, Lleyton Hewitt's son Cruz won his first ATP Tour match at the same event, beating Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-4. The 17-year-old rose 255 places to world number 357 as a result.
