Injured Svitolina may pull out of Wimbledon

BIRMINGHAM: Elina Svitolina suggested she might withdraw from Wimbledon after a surprise second-round loss at the Aegon Classic.

Svitolina, ranked fifth and the Classic’s leading seed after a host of withdrawals, was beaten by Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on Thursday. Giorgi has played three matches on the lush grass and attacked with imagination and flair.

Asked about Wimbledon, where she has only two match wins in four appearances, Svitolina said: “There is a question about it.”

She carries a foot injury. “I will talk with my physios. The season is very long and I must look at the bigger picture,” she said.

“The heel feels painful and is very sensitive. I am disappointed I am out of the tournament but I am not disappointed with my performance, as I could not show even 50%.”

Soon after came the defeat of Johanna Konta, the world No. 7 from Britain, who was outplayed by CoCo Vandeweghe 6-1, 6-3. The American recently broke into the top 20 for the first time.

Konta’s defeat means that a tournament which once had an entry list with seven of the world’s top 10, has now lost all of them, four through withdrawals and three with defeats.

Garbine Muguruza, the former Wimbledon finalist, played an impressively forceful baseline game while beating Alison Riske, the American who has twice been a semi-finalist, by 6-1, 6-4.

Muguruza played down her chances of going deep in a draw becoming more open by the day.

Muguruza next plays Vandeweghe, who won the first set against Konta in only 20 minutes.

The tournament’s other former Grand Slam champion, Petra Kvitova, the twice Wimbledon champion, learned her quarter-final will be against Kristina Mladenovic, the world No. 12 from France who spectacularly ended Muguruza’s French Open title defence a fortnight ago.

Mladenovic beat former semi-finalist Zhang Shuai 6-4, 7-6 (7-3). It included one extraordinary passing shot sliced at angle while falling over, the outcome of which she learned only from the crowd’s roar.

MADRID: Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka’s return from maternity leave was cut short by young Croatian Ana Konjuh at the Mallorca Open.

The Belarusian, who saved match points in her first-round victory against Japan’s Risa Ozaki, went down 6-1, 6-3 to the seventh seed on the grasscourts at Santa Ponsa on Thursday.

Konjuh, 19, dominated from the start and Azarenka had no answer to the depth and power of her opponent.

“I know Azarenka is coming back, but it’s always tough to play against her,” said Konjuh, who did not allow Azarenka a point until the third game of the match.

“She’s one of the best players in the world. “I was motivated for sure, and I’m really glad that I could play so well today and win.” Konjuh will face Anastasija Sevastova in the quarter-finals. – Reuters