Aussies laid low by form, injuries

AUSTRALIA’S French Open hopes have been dented with injuries to Jarmila Gajdosova and Casey Dellacqua as Bernard Tomic’s form slump deepens.

And, only 10 days out from the second grand slam of the season, Nick Kyrgios and Sam Stosur are reconciling firstround defeat at the Italian Open.

Dellacqua withdrew in Rome because of a foot injury, casting doubt over the Perth left-hander for Roland Garros.

Gajdosova retired with a shoulder injury when trailing Maria Sharapova 2-6, 1-3 and concedes her French Open preparation is compromised. “I am very sad to announce I had to pull out of Strasbourg as well,” Gajdosova tweeted.

“My main priority right now is to get healthy and my shoulder better and be as fit and as prepared for French Open as I can be.

“I will stay here in Rome keep getting treatment and on Saturday will fly to Paris.

“I was in pain the whole match.’’

Dellacqua last week won the Mutua Madrid Open doubles and was due to face Victoria Azarenka at the Foro Italico.

Her demise came as Tomic plunged to a third consecutive first-round loss and Kyrgios was jettisoned from the Italian Open.

While Tomic is guaranteed a French Open seeding with a world ranking of No.27, Kyrgios could come under pressure to hold his seed if results go against him.

Ranked 30th, Kyrgios has only a small margin to protect against a fall from the top 32.

Kyrgios was beaten 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) by Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez, while Tomic fell to Serb Viktor Troicki 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4).

Stosur has an unbecoming 8-11 start to the season after falling in the opening round in Rome.

Daria Gavrilova lifted the gloom with a 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 6-2 success over rising Swiss star Belinda Bencic.