By Sudipto Ganguly
PARIS (Reuters) – Third seed Paula Badosa was forced to retire with a right calf injury from her third round match against Veronika Kudermetova at the French Open on Saturday while the Spaniard was trailing 6-3 2-1.
The 24-year-old Badosa, who made the quarter-finals at Roland Garros last year, was considered one of those in the women’s draw who could challenge world number Iga Swiatek at the claycourt Grand Slam.
Playing on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Badosa required medical attention for a right leg problem during the match and then decided early in the second set that she could no longer continue.
The 29th-seeded Kudermetova will face either American Madison Keys or Kazakh Elena Rybakina for a place in the quarter-finals.
The women’s draw was further hampered by the exit of seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka, who went down to big-hitting Italian Camila Giorgi 4-6 6-1 6-0 on Court Simonne Mathieu.
Sabalenka, a former world number two, won the hard-fought opening set but then was reduced to a mere spectator as Giorgi scorched the court with winners.
The Belarusian managed to win only one more game as Giorgi completed a remarkable comeback win in an hour and 42 minutes to make the fourth round for the first time at Roland Garros.
For a place in the quarter-finals, the 30-year-old Giorgi, ranked 30th, will next meet 20th seed Daria Kasatkina.
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
