Injury has derailed Russian Elena Vesnina’s attempt to win back-to-back Hobart International titles.
The third seed was forced to retire in her second round match against Spanish qualifier Estrella Cabeza Candela today when trailling 64 26 14.
A disappointed Vesnina explained she woke up with a stiff left hip, making it difficult for her to move on court.
“I couldn’t move properly and I couldn’t push off on my serve, so there was no reason to continue playing,” she said. “It’s always bad when you have to pull out from your match and you can’t finish it but it was the right decision to do today.”
Vesnina said her injury was worsening as the match progressed, which forced the premature end to the match.
“I did my best. I tried to play until the end but it was just impossible,” she said. “Next year I will come back and try to play better and try to win the title again.”
Vesnina’s movement was clearly hampered during the match. She took a medical timeout off court after the second set and again called the trainer three games into the final set.
Cabeza Candela, the world no. 114, said it wasn’t easy playing an opponent who was hampered by injury.
“I was feeling a little nervous about that,” she said. “When you see the opponent is a little injured you can lose concentration, so I just tried to concentrate about my game.”
Cabeza Candela will now play the winner of the Mona Barthel and Monica Niculescu second round match played later today.
The Spanish player admitted she even was surprised by her winning run, which stands at five wins after coming through qualifying.
“I’m just so happy for the win,” she said.