French Open Day 4: Speedy recovery, Hailey

Day 4 at Roland Garros was a dud! Europe is experiencing a heatwave right now and the players in Paris are feeling it.

There have also been a fair share of upsets, with top-10 seeds falling in both draws which has added to the excitement.

But something that has been tough to witness has been players in distress due to physical injury. There were two on Wednesday that got our attention.

Hailey Baptiste

Baptiste was forced to retire from her second-round match against China’s Wang Xiyu after a nasty-looking fall towards the end of the first set – Baptiste was trailing 5-4. The 24-year-old American, who was seeded at a major for the first time (26) and in the form of her life, was in tears at the back of the court where her father rushed to her aid. Unable to continue, Baptiste was helped off a packed Court 6 on a wheelchair. This one hurts because so much was going right for the American this season. Praying this injury is not as serious as it looks and Baptiste is able to make a full and speedy recovery.

Jasmine Paolini

Paolini was up a set against Solana Sierra before falling in three – 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. The Italian 13th seed seemed to be in control against the 21-year-old Argentine and was dominating proceedings in usual style from the baseline before Sierra raised her level after going down an early break in the second set. Paolini was in tears on the court in the third set after calling the trainer and appearing to receive painkillers. The 2024 runner-up was struggling with discomfort in her ankle and confirmed in her post-match press conference that she has been struggling with the injury since Rome. Wishing the Italian, who smartly is not playing doubles in Paris, a seamless recovery.

Alycia Parks

Parks, who played a brilliant match in the opening round where she took down 24th seed Leylah Fernandez in straight sets, was unable to carry that form into her second-round match. World No 82 Viktorija Golubic got the better of Parks in straight sets – 6-2, 6-2 – avenging her defeat to the American in Hobart qualifying at the start of the year. That match in January lasted two hours and 23 minutes. Their latest encounter lasted 63 minutes. Parks’ focus now shifts to the grass.