Two-time women’s holder Elina Svitolina crashed out of the WTA and ATP Italian Open on Tuesday along with Germany’s Alexander Zverev as Serena Williams’s return to the courts was short-lived with her knee injury flaring up to force the American star out of the final warm-up before the French Open in two weeks times.
Svitolina — who had a first round bye as fifth seed — held a match point at 5-2 in the third set before slumping 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to Belarus Victoria Azarenka at the Foro Italico which was twice interrupted because of rain.
Serena earlier announced she was withdrawing having just returned after two months out injured, before she was due to play her older sister Venus for the first time in 21 years in Rome.
The 37-year-old had eased past Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson in her first round match on Monday, but a day later could not continue “due to pain in my left knee”.
“I’ll be concentrating on rehab and look forward to seeing you all at the French Open and next year in Rome,” Serena said in a statement.
There are now doubts whether Serena can target a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title in Paris, having played just nine matches this year, and one on clay.
Svitolina and Azarenka battled late into the night before former two-time Australian Open winner Azarenka won through.
Pliskova cruises
Czech fourth seed Karolina liskova eased through to the third round along with Australian Ashleigh Barty, the eighth seed.
In the men’s competition, World No.5 Zverev, the 2017 winner and runner-up to Novak Djokovic last year in Rome, extended his terrible clay-court run, falling 7-5, 7-5 to Italian wild card Matteo Berrettini in the second round.
“The match that I played was horrendous,” said Zverev, who has won just four matches on clay this season, including a run to the quarterfinal of the Madrid Open where he was the defending champion.
Ninth seed Marin Cilic beat Italian wild card Andrea Basso 6-1, 7-5, while Portgual’s Joao Sousa saved four match points in the deciding set to battle past American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(4).
The results:
Women: Second round: Victoria Azarenka bt Elina Svitolina 4-6, 6-1, 7-5; Karolina Pliskova bt Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-3; Ashleigh Barty bt Viktoria Kuzmova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
First round: Mihaela Buzarnescu bt Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 5-4 retd.; Julia Goerges bt Su-Wei Hsieh 6-3, 6-4; Carla Suarez bt Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 1-6, 6-3; Marketa Vondrousova bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(4); Darya Kasatkina bt Irina Begu 6-2, 7-6(5); Kristina Mladenovic bt Caroline Garcia 6-1, 6-2; Belinda Bencic bt Anastasija Sevastova 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; Maria Sakkari bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-5.
Men: Second round: Matteo Berrettini bt Alexander Zverev 7-5, 7-5; Borna Coric bt Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-2; Karen Khachanov bt Roberto Bautista 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; Nikoloz Basilashvili bt Laslo Djere 7-5, 6-4.
First round: Diego Schwartzman bt Yoshihito Nishioka 6-1, 6-4; Marin Cilic bt Andrea Basso 6-1, 7-5; Jan-Lennard Struff bt Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3; Taylor Fritz bt Guido Pella 6-3, 6-4; Radu Albot bt Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-2; Joao Sousa bt Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(4); Jeremy Chardy bt Richard Gasquet 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 .
