Iga Swiatek hit by ball, advances when Danielle Collins quits - ESPN

Iga Swiatek dropped to her knees on the court and clutched at her midsection after getting hit by a ball during a point in the Paris Olympics singles quarterfinals Wednesday, but it was her opponent, Danielle Collins of the United States, who stopped playing later in the third set.

Swiatek was leading 6-2, 1-6, 4-1 when Collins retired from the match after taking a medical timeout then getting another visit from a trainer.

Collins, a 30-year-old who was the runner-up at the 2022 Australian Open and has announced she will retire from elite-level tennis after this season, said she cramped and went into convulsions because of dehydration and exhaustion after competing in heat that reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday.

She blamed Olympic organizers for not having insulated water bottles, for the water not being cool enough and for not «prioritizing the health of the athletes.»

«It's incredibly disappointing because you work so hard your whole life to make it to the Olympics, and this is my first and my last Olympics, and something like not having adequate water on court. That's really frustrating and it's really sad,» Collins said.

In the opening game of the final set, with Collins serving at deuce, she directed a backhand down the middle of the court. Swiatek was up at the net and unable to get out of the way of the shot.

Swiatek looked stunned as she let go of her white racket and stopped down on the red clay at Court Suzanne Lenglen. Collins — who asked, «Iga, are you OK?» — walked around the net to check on Swiatek, and chair umpire Damien Dumusois climbed out of his perch to see how the world's No. 1 player was.

«I could not breathe for a moment. It hurt for a bit,» Swiatek said. «But with the adrenaline that you