Barty retires injured, Pliskova in semis

World number one Ashleigh Barty retired injured in the Italian Open quarter-finals yesterday, just two weeks before Roland Garros.

Top seed Barty, the 2019 French Open champion, was leading 6-4, 2-1 when she pulled up to receive treatment during her match against American Coco Gauff.

The Australian suffered a right arm injury, the WTA said.

“The pain was becoming too severe,” said Barty. “It was really important that I listen to my body knowing we have a Grand Slam in two weeks’ time.”

She added: “I’m confident in my team. We know how to manage this injury to know that in a couple of weeks it’ll be fine.”

Barty, 25, has won a Tourleading 27 matches in 2021, and is among the favourites for the French Open which starts in Paris on May 30.

Her retirement allowed 17-year-old Gauff to reach her first clay-court semi-final where she will play fifth-seed Elina Svitolina or Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the reigning Roland Garros champion.

Former Rome champion Karolina Pliskova rallied from a set down and saved three match points to advance to the semifinals.

Pliskova, winner in 2019 and runner-up last year, battled past Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1).

The ninth-seeded Czech will meet Croatia’s Petra Martic for a place in the final.

Martic, ranked 25, ended the run of American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-4.

Pegula had dispatched number two seed Naomi Osaka of Japan on her way to her fourth quarter-final this season.

“Just proud, I think mostly, how I fought,” said Pliskova, who saved three match points at 5-4 in the final set before storming back to victory after two hours and 20 minutes.

“It was definitely a horrible start for me. I’m just happy that I stayed in there and fought till the end.”