One was sick, the other had a blister: Paula Badosa and Jannik Sinner were forced to retire on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, which Jessica Pegula and Francisco Cerundolo took advantage of to join the last square.
Of these first two posters of the day in Florida, before two other quarters to oppose the Polish Iga Swiatek, future world No.1, to the Czech Petra Kvitova (32nd), and the German Alexander Zverev (4th) to the Norwegian Casper Ruud ( 8th), there were in all and for all only 43 minutes of disputed.
Badosa (6th) only held 20, the time to be led 4-1, before giving up, unable to suppress a few tears on his chair.
“I’m sorry I had to give up today. I have been battling illness since my previous game. I tried everything to recover but it was not enough. I will take a few days to rest well and prepare for the clay court season, ”she then explained on her Twitter account.
On Monday, she had indeed already seemed in physical difficulty, during her victory in the round of 16 against the young Czech Linda Fruhvirtova, admitting afterwards to having “felt bad as soon as she woke up” that morning. “I kept fighting, but I really don’t know how I won,” she added.
Semi-finalist in Indian Wells ten days ago, Badosa could hope to reach the 2nd rank in the world by reaching the semi-finals in Florida. Instead of which she will still be ranked 3rd on Monday at the next publication of the WTA ranking.
His misfortune is therefore the happiness of Jessica Pegula (21st), who still had a thought for his opponent. “It’s not nice to win like that, I was really looking forward to playing against her, she had an amazing year. But she didn’t look well. »
sinner whistled
The 28-year-old American therefore reaches the last four of the event for the first time in her career and for the second time in a WTA 1000, after Montreal last year.
For the Argentinian Cerundolo (103rd), almost unknown on the ATP circuit and who is playing his first Masters 1000, it will also be a great first in Florida.
He too was leading 4-1 when Sinner, finalist of the event last year, decided to stop his match after 23 minutes, hampered by a blister on his foot, without calling the physiotherapist. Which earned him the whistles of the public.
The course of the Italian in Miami was not easy. He had saved several match points in his first two difficult rounds, winning against the Finn Emil Ruusuvuori (71st) and the Spaniard Pablo Carreno (19th), before more convincingly defeating the Australian Nick Kyrgios, against whom he had … forfeited on March 16, ill this time, before their quarter in Indian Wells.
Sensation of the men’s table, Cerundolo, semi-finalist in Rio de Janeiro in mid-February, and whose best performance on the ATP circuit is a final at the Buenos Aires tournament last year (lost to his compatriot Diego Schwartzman), continues his dream career.
In Miami, he has already triumphed over Frenchman Gaël Monfils (24th) on Monday and over American Frances Tiafoe (31st) in 8th. Before that, he had benefited from another abandonment, that of the American Reilly Opelka (18th).
The 23-year-old Argentinian will have a hard time facing his future next opponent to go to the final, whether against Alexander Zverev (4th) or Casper Ruud (8th).
