Ekaterina Alexandrova, the top seed at the Memphis Classic, collapsed on court and retired from her first-round match against Kristina Liutova due to heat-related illness. The incident occurred in Tennessee, where temperatures were around 97°F (36°C) during the more than three-hour contest.
Alexandrova, the world No 19, was two points away from defeat when she fell to the ground. She received on-court treatment and was later seen leaving the arena in a wheelchair. Her opponent, 16-year-old Kristina Liutova, was making her WTA debut.
The withdrawal of Alexandrova has prompted questions regarding the decision to include Memphis as a summer stop on the WTA Tour. The new WTA 250 event, which replaced Cleveland on the schedule, takes place in late July and early August, when average temperatures in Tennessee are around 83°F (29°C).
In other tournament news, second seed McCartney Kessler was also eliminated in the first round, losing to Renata Zarazua. Elsewhere, Venus Williams was defeated in the first round of the Mubadala DC Open in Washington.