Open season!

PARIS, June 3

World No.1 Ash Barty retired from her second round match at the French Open today with an injury, leaving the women’s draw at the claycourt Grand Slam without its top two seeds following Naomi Osaka’s earlier withdrawal.

Second seed Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, pulled out after her first round following a row over her decision to boycott post-match media duties citing mental health concerns.

Australia’s Barty, who lifted her maiden Major at the Roland Garros in 2019, was trailing 6-1 2-2 against Poland’s Magda Linette when she decided she could no longer continue, having started the match with taping on her left thigh.

She had also struggled with the injury during her opening win and later said she suffered a flare-up through her left hip during the weekend.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Barty told reporters. “We have had such a brilliant claycourt season, and to kind of get a little bit unlucky with timing more than anything to have something kind of acute happen over the weekend and just kind of run out of time against the clock is disappointing.”

Romanian world No. 3 Simona Halep, the 2018 champion in Paris, also pulled out from this year’s tournament due to a leg injury, meaning fourth-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus is the highest surviving seed this week.

Just another day for Serb

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic put on a clinical display to stroll past Uruguyan Pablo Cuevas 6-3 6-2 6-4 today and reach the third round.

Cuevas, ranked 92nd, showed flashes of resistance against the 34-year-old Serbian but the top seed raised his game when he needed to and produced some sublime winners off his backhand to keep alive his chase for a 19th Grand Slam title. — Agencies

Day 5: Highlights

Easy for federer

Roger Federer lost his trademark cool but found some vintage tennis as he beat Marin Cilic 6-2 2-6 7-6(4) 6-2 to move into the third round. The 39-year-old Swiss lost the second set after a heated debate with the chair umpire over the time he was taking to towel down before Cilic served knocked him out of his stride.

WILLIAMS goes on

Seventh seed Serena Williams was pushed the distance but beat Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-3 5-7 6-1 to move into the third round where the 39-year-old goes up against compatriot Danielle Collins.

MEDVEDEV takes flight

World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev overcame a slow start to win 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 over unseeded American Tommy Paul and advance to the third round.

SVITOLINA, KENIN IN RD 3

Ukrainian fifth seed Elina Svitolina enjoyed a comfortable 6-0 6-4 victory over American Ann Li. Elsewhere, American fourth seed Sofia Kenin beat compatriot Hailey Baptiste 7-5 6-3.

Erratic Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka littered Court Suzanne Lenglen with dozens of unforced errors but still beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich in their Belarusian battle 7-5 6-3 to move into the third round.

A FIRST for coco

Coco Gauff reached the third round of the French Open for the first time as the 17-year-old American battled past China’s Wang Qiang 6-3 7-6(1).

It’s heartbreaking. I just tried to give myself a chance and see how it felt. But, it got worse today and was becoming at the stage where it was unsafe.Rs Ash Barty