Third seed Simona Halep withdrew from the Miami Open singles and doubles events due to a right shoulder injury, the Romanian said on Saturday.
Halep, who received a bye in the second round where she beat France’s Caroline Garcia in three sets, was ready to face Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, who will now receive a walkover and advance to the round of 16.
Halep, the reigning Wimbledon champion, said she began to feel pain after practice sessions at her first tournament since leaving the Australian Open quarterfinal last month.
“I’m very sorry to have to retire from singles and doubles at the Miami Open, but my injury doesn’t let me play here as I expected,” said Halep, who had teamed up with Angelique Kerber on the doubles.
“I’m sad that I can’t continue, I wanted to come here to do my best and play many games but unfortunately I can’t. Hopefully next year I’ll be healthy and better again ”.
Halep’s withdrawal is a blow to the March 22-April 4 tournament, which already saw Serena Williams retire to recover from oral surgery, while Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem skipped the event. ATP 1000.
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