Canada’s Bianca Andreescu was forced to retire from her Thailand Open semifinal match against Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko on Saturday due to injury.
The 23-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., had requested a doctor for what appeared to be a shoulder or neck issue.
“Bianca is such an amazing player. She is capable of hitting all kinds of shots and gave so much trouble today,” said the 33-year-old Tsurenko, now ranked 136th. “But I was just fighting and I told myself positive things that I can do it. Unfortunately, she had to retire.”
Andreescu, who was the tournament’s top seed, was on a roll having not dropped a single set entering the semifinals as the 2019 U.S. Open champion was looking to reach her first WTA final since June.
Tsurenko rallied from 3-5 to win the opening set 7-5. Andreescu, who had requested a medical timeout in the first, was down 0-4 in the second when she withdrew.
Tsurenko will play China’s Lin Zhu in the final.
With a file from The Associated Press
