Gauff overcomes stomach bug to beat Cirstea in Madrid
MADRID: Coco Gauff became the latest victim of the stomach virus that has been sweeping through the draw at the Madrid Open but the ailing American still found a way to beat Sorana Cirstea 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 on Sunday and reach the round of 16. Several players have been struggling with illness in the Spanish capital this week, including Iga Swiatek, who was forced to retire from her match against Ann Li on Saturday, and Marin Cilic, who had to withdraw ahead of his second-round meeting with Joao Fonseca on Friday. Liudmila Samsonova also pulled out of the tournament on Sunday citing illness ahead of her third-round match with Linda Noskova. Gauff vomited in a bin on the court during her clash with Cirstea, and asked for a medical timeout during the latter stages of the match before she completed the win in two hours and 21 minutes. “Yeah, I don’t know, honestly (how I got through that),” said Gauff, who will face Noskova in the last 16. “I was just trying to finish the match and one point turned into another. I think I got what everybody else is having here in Madrid, unfortunately.