Simona Halep suffers French Open scare as injury forces Rome withdrawal against Angelique Kerber

ByMichael Hincks

Updated 12/05/2021 at 18:35 GMT

Simona Halep took the first set against Angelique Kerber but midway through the second set of their Italian Open meeting the Romanian suffered a calf injury and was unable to walk back to her chair unassisted. The French Open gets under way in less than three weeks. Halep won at Roland Garros in 2018. Halep will have an MRI scan on Thursday.

Defending champion Simona Halep was forced to withdraw from her Italian Open match against Angelique Kerber after suffering a calf tear which casts doubt on whether she will be fit for the French Open later this month.

World No 3 Halep had taken the first set 6-1 on Wednesday, but with the score at 3-3 in the second the Romanian pulled up and needed assistance walking back to her chair.

Halep then received medical attention, but unable to continue she forfeited the match as Kerber progressed to the last 16, where she will play Jeļena Ostapenko.

Tennis

Madrid Open: Are Nadal, Djokovic, Alcaraz and Raducanu playing?

24/04/2024 at 08:40

Halep said she will have an MRI scan on Thursday and will await those results before putting a timeframe on her return.

"Unfortunately an ultrasound has revealed that I have a tear in my left calf," Halep said on Twitter.

I will get an MRI tomorrow to understand the injury in more detail, but at the moment we are unsure of recovery time. I’m so disappointed to end my tournament in Rome like this... but I will do everything I can to take care of the injury and be back as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your support and I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

In what was an abrupt end to the pair’s 14th meeting, Kerber sat next to Halep and consoled the 29-year-old after her withdrawal.

Kerber then aided her opponent by carrying her equipment off the court as Halep continued to struggle to put weight on her left leg.

Halep’s injury falls under three weeks before the start of the French Open, which gets under way on May 30.

'Murray is great!' - Halep judges tennis stars' football skills

She had been named favourite to win at Roland Garros, having last won there in 2018, but the injury has seen her odds fall with defending champion Iga Swiatek now deemed the frontrunner.

WTA Stuttgart

Raducanu cruises past Kerber in straight sets, Gauff battles past Vickery

18/04/2024 at 06:06

WTA Stuttgart

Raducanu set for first-round clash with Kerber in Stuttgart after BJK Cup heroics

15/04/2024 at 09:41

Billie Jean King Cup

Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers: Which top stars are playing?

11/04/2024 at 11:13