American tennis star Hailey Baptiste was wheeled off the court at the French Open on Wednesday after suffering a gruesome leg injury.
Baptiste, the world No. 26 at the time of the injury, was mid-rally with Wang Xiyu during their second round matchup when disaster struck.
The 24-year-old fell to the clay after hitting a forehand return, and could be seen writhing in pain as her dad rushed onto the court.
A subsequent replay of the moment showed that Baptiste landed awkwardly on her left leg after jumping up to hit the forehand, and she grabbed her left knee as she fell to the floor.
After receiving medical attention, Baptiste was placed in a wheelchair as she was forced to retire from the contest.
Wang had been leading 5-4 in the first set at the time of the injury.
Baptiste’s injury comes after a signature win for her last month, as she beat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.
Baptiste also reached the last eight of the Miami Open earlier this year.
The Washington, D.C. native is considered a rising star in the world of women’s tennis, and achieved a career best Grand Slam finish at Roland Garros last year as she reached the fourth round.
Xiyu will now face Yuliia Starodubtseva in the third round.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
