Brisbane too hot for Muguruza

Murray also pulls out of Aussie Open warm-up event

World No.2 Garbine Muguruza suffered a fitness scare ahead of this month’s Australian Open when she was forced to retire from the Brisbane International on Tuesday with severe cramping.

The men’s draw also suffered a major blow when Andy Murray withdrew – the second star player to pull out after top seed Rafael Nadal did so late last week.

Wimbledon champion Muguruza was ahead 2-1 in the deciding set against Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic in the second round of the warm-up tournament for the season’s first Grand Slam event, when she collapsed after a serve. The Spanish top seed could not continue and handed the match to Krunic 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 2-1.

“I felt in trouble in the second set when I was 2-0 up,” Muguruza said. “I started to feel my calves were cramping.”

Muguruza had won a tight first set and appeared heading for a straight sets win over Krunic when she opened up a 5-2 lead in the second.

However, she began to struggle in the 30 C heat and oppressive humidity as Krunic fought back to win the second set on a tiebreaker.

Muguruza received treatment from the physio on court before the start of the decider and broke Krunic, only to collapse while serving to consolidate the service break.

The loss ends any hope Muguruza had of leapfrogging Simona Halep and becoming world No.1 before the seedings are decided for the Australian Open, which begins on January 15.

Krunic will now play Anastasija Sevastova after the seventhseeded Latvian crushed Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-2, 6-1.

Britain’s fifth seed Johanna Konta survived a 2.5-hour marathon against Croatia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in the evening match. Konta came back from losing the first set to win the match 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Last year’s runner-up Alize Cornet eased into the final eight with a straight-set win over Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

Cornet, who won her firstround match when fourth seed Caroline Garcia retired injured, was too consistent for LucicBaroni and won 6-1, 7-5.

Murray suffered a right hip injury in 2017 and has not played on the ATP tour since losing a tough five-setter to American Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

The 30-year-old Scot issued a statement on Tuesday announcing his withdrawal from the tournament, and did not say whether he would be able to play the year’s first Grand Slam.

Murray said he would stay in Brisbane as he “works towards returning to the tennis circuit.”