Swiatek, Paolini advance at US Open; injured Rybakina withdraws - ESPN

NEW YORK — A US Open match between a pair of two-time Grand Slam finalists lasted only three points on Thursday, when former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova injured herself and had to stop playing against fifth-seeded Jasmine Paolini. Their abbreviated match was followed by No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina withdrawing from the tournament with an undisclosed injury.

The score in the second-round contest between Pliskova and Paolini was 15-all, with Paolini serving, when Pliskova stepped awkwardly on her left foot while trying to change directions during a point she lost. That made it 30-15, and that's where the scoreboard remained, as Pliskova headed to the sideline and asked for a visit from a trainer.

Pliskova, the runner-up at the US Open in 2016 and at Wimbledon in 2021, removed both of her shoes and took off her left sock. The trainer examined her left foot and, eventually, Pliskova said she couldn't continue competing and limped off the court at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

«It's so sad. I hope she recovers really soon, because it's bad to leave the court like this,» Paolini said. «I don't know what to say, because we didn't play a match. It's not good for tennis.»

It's the fourth retirement on the women's side so far this tournament, tying the most in a single US Open (2011) in the Open era.

Paolini lost in this year's finals at the French Open in June to Iga Swiatek and at Wimbledon in July to Barbora Krejcikova.

Thursday's result gave Paolini her 17th major match win of 2024, the most by any woman this season.

Before this season, the 28-year-old Italian never had been past the second round at any major tournament in 16 appearances. That includes a 1-4 career record at Flushing Meadows, where she made it to the second round in 2021