Swiatek, Paolini advance at US Open; Rybakina withdraws with injury

August 29, 2024, 2:16 p.m. ET

NEW YORK — A U.S. Open match between two Grand Slam finalists lasted just three points Thursday when former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova was injured and forced to retire from the match against No. 5 seed Jasmine Paolini. Their shortened match was followed by No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina's withdrawal from the tournament with an undisclosed injury.

The second-round score between Pliskova and Paolini was 15-all, with Paolini serving when Pliskova put down a clumsy left foot while trying to change direction during a point that she lost. The score was then 30-15, and that's when the score stayed the same, as Pliskova headed to the sideline and asked for a coach.

Pliskova, a finalist at the 2016 US Open and 2021 Wimbledon, removed both shoes and her left sock. The trainer examined her left foot and, ultimately, Pliskova said she could not continue the competition and limped off the court at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“It's so sad. I hope she recovers very quickly, because it's hard to leave the court like that,” Paolini said. “I don't know what to say, because we didn't play a match. It's not good for tennis.”

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This is the fourth withdrawal on the women's side since the start of this tournament, tying the most withdrawals from a single US Open (2011) in the Open era.

Paolini lost in this year's final at Roland Garros in June to Iga Swiatek and at Wimbledon in July to Barbora Krejcikova.

Thursday's result gave Paolini her 17th major match victory of 2024, the most by a woman this season.

Before this season, the 28-year-old Italian had never advanced past the second round of a major tournament in 16 appearances. That includes a 1-4 career record at Flushing Meadows, where she reached the second round in 2021 and was eliminated in the first round in 2020, 2022 and 2023.

“Finally, we meet, third round,” Paolini said, raising both arms and looking up at the sky. “Finally!”

2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina withdrew from the US Open before her second-round match, sending French qualifier Jessika Ponchet to the weekend.

“Unfortunately, I have to withdraw today due to my injuries,” Rybakina, who parted ways with longtime coach Stefano Vukov ahead of the US Open, said in a statement. “I didn't want to end the last Grand Slam of the year this way, but I have to listen to my body and hope I can finish the rest of the year strong.”

PlayerBagel SetsVenus Williams42Victoria Azarenka38Caroline Wozniacki35Iga Swiatek26– ESPN Stats & Info

Rybakina is the first top-five seed to retire or withdraw from the US Open since 2000, when No. 4 seed Mary Pierce withdrew from her round-of-16 match against Anke Huber with a shoulder injury.

Rybakina has struggled to stay healthy, recently having to withdraw from the Olympics and the Toronto pre-tournament tournament due to acute bronchitis. Earlier this season, she withdrew from events in Dubai, Indian Wells and Rome due to illness, and had to pull out of her quarter-final match in Berlin due to abdominal pain. She also withdrew from Eastbourne due to a change of schedule.

Iga Swiatek, playing an afternoon match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, showed her No. 1 form against Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara as she cruised into the third round with a 6-0, 6-1 victory. She won the first set in just 23 minutes and finished the match in 65. The 2022 US Open champion took longer to play the second set alone in her first-round match, when she needed a tiebreak that she eventually won in 72 minutes.

“I felt like the pace was a lot better,” Swiatek said. “I was a little bit tense in my last match, so today I just wanted to focus on the good things.”

Swiatek is the only player, both men and women, to have reached the third round or better at every possible major tournament since the start of 2020 (19 consecutive third rounds). The last time she failed to reach that stage at a major tournament was five years ago at the 2019 US Open, when she lost in the second round to Anastasija Sevastova.

American Jessica Pegula, seeded No. 6, defeated 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in three sets. Pegula has won 14 professional matches on American soil this season, the second-most on the WTA Tour after Danielle Collins (16).

“I think I served pretty well when I needed to,” Pegula said. “I knew I had chances to break but, I mean, she's really tough. She's a good returner and when she hits her shots and she gets really good depth, it makes it really tough.”

Jessica Pegula, seeded No. 6, has won 14 professional matches on American soil this season, ranking second to Danielle Collins (16) on the WTA Tour. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

Pegula, who has never made it past the quarter-finals at a major tournament, will next face Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

In other women's singles results Thursday, former NC State star Diana Shnaider, seeded No. 18, beat Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the third round for a second straight major.

Shnaider is one of four former college players still in singles action, along with Ena Shibahara (UCLA, faces Iga Swiatek later Thursday), Emma Navarro (Virginia, through to the third round) and Peyton Stearns (Texas, through to the third round).

American Ashlyn Krueger defeated No. 21 Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-4. It was Krueger's fifth win over a WTA Top 25 player this season, having won one before the 2024 season. Krueger entered the tournament with an 0-6 record in the main draw of major tournaments.

No. 15 seed Anna Kalinskaya beat Anna Bondar 6-2, 6-4, and No. 30 seed Yulia Putintseva advanced with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) win over Wang Xinyu. She will next face Paolini.

Former Australian Open winner Caroline Wozniacki beat Mexico's Renata Zarazua 6-3, 6-3. The Dane, a two-time US Open finalist, will face France's Jessika Ponchet in the third round.

After knocking out No. 11 seed Collins in the first round, unseeded Caroline Dolehide's US Open singles hopes were dashed by Italy's Sara Errani in a tight 7-5, 7-5 contest.

ESPN Stats & Information, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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