Swiatek was the top seed in Miami, and after receiving a first-round bye, she was scheduled to face American Claire Liu in the second round.
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Due to a rib injury, defending champion Iga Swiatek was forced to withdraw from the Miami Open. In a statement released on Wednesday, the World No. 1 claimed that since winning the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, she has been managing the injury. Swiatek was the top seed in Miami, and after receiving a first-round bye, she was scheduled to face American Claire Liu in the second round on Thursday. Swiatek alluded to her physical concerns in an Instagram post after losing to eventual champion Elena Rybakina in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals.
“You know that in and after Doha I was struggling with a strong infection,” Swiatek said. “I was allowed to play, but a strong episode of tough cough led to a rib injury. We were trying to handle it and continue to play as long as it was safe for me. We were analyzing the data in the last days and my doctor prepared my diagnosis. Unfortunately, I’m still feeling a lot of discomfort and pain and I can’t compete.”
“I gave it all but Elena was a better player today,” she added. “Unfortunately I’m feeling discomfort and pain in my ribs and it was challenging for me to compete at my highest level. Now, I just need to consult with my medical team and I will definitely use these next days to recover.”
“I will keep you updated about where I play next, because it depends on my process of recovering and the recommendation of my medical team,” she added. “I have the best team behind me, we only need some time to deal with the injury. It’s a truly difficult call to not play in Miami and BJKC, but health is the most important.”
In the Miami Open on Wednesday, Bianca Andreescu defeated Emma Raducanu 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in 2 hours and 33 minutes. The 2021 finalist Andreescu won their first-round match in Rome last year after Raducanu withdrew due to a lower back injury while trailing 6-2, 2-1. This time, the rivals engaged in three exciting sets of combat.
“You never know what to expect,” Andreescu said on court. “I just came in here wanting to play my best with what I had today, and I think I did that. Emma played amazing. She’s an incredible player and I have a lot of respect for her. I didn’t let my negative emotions get the best of me. I stayed positive, I was very energetic and I never gave up.”
The seventh seed Maria Sakkari will be the next opponent for the 22-year-old Canadian in the second round. She and Sakkari had previously had two close meetings that she had to decide between. In the 2021 Miami semifinals, Andreescu prevailed 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-6(4), but Sakkari triumphed 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-3 a few months later in the fourth round of the US Open.
In comparison to Raducanu’s 20, Andreescu scored 32 victories, including seven aces. Compared to the 20-year-40 old’s unforced errors, she made 34 of them. Under pressure, both players played at their best, as evidenced by the 11 break points saved by Andreescu out of a possible 12 and the eight by Raducanu out of a possible 11.
(Information taken from the official WTA website)
