Tennis: Kudermetova, Badosa in injury scares ahead of Australian Open
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Veronika Kudermetova of Russia is a doubt for the Australian Open after suffering a hip injury.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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ADELAIDE – Veronika Kudermetova and Paula Badosa both pulled out of their Adelaide International II semi-finals with injury problems on Friday, leaving them in a race to be fit for the Australian Open.
Their withdrawals gave Belinda Bencic and Daria Kasatkina free rides into Saturday’s title match.
Russia’s Kudermetova, seeded ninth for the year’s opening Grand Slam which starts on Monday, cited a left hip injury for her withdrawal against Swiss Bencic.
It followed epic three-setters in her two previous matches, with her quarter-final against Danielle Collins on Thursday extending beyond three hours.
Olympic champion Bencic is aiming to claim a sixth WTA singles trophy and her fifth on a hard court. She will face world No. 8 Kasatkina, who is gunning for a seventh WTA title and her second in Australia, having claimed the Phillip Island Trophy in 2021.
Kasatkina progressed when Spain’s Badosa, seeded 11th at Melbourne Park, opted out because of a thigh injury.
“Yesterday when I was playing it was a very tough match, especially physical, so I felt a little bit in my abductor. I felt like I pulled it a little bit,” said the Spaniard.
She battled through a gruelling quarter-final clash with Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia that stretched beyond two hours.
“Today I feel a little bit worse, I have the Australian Open ahead, and I hope I can recover for that,” she added.
The Grand Slam has been hit by numerous withdrawals, including men’s world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and two-time former champion Naomi Osaka, who is expecting her first child.
In the men’s draw, South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo dominated from the baseline to overpower Britain’s Jack Draper 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3 and surge into the Adelaide final.
He will face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, who ousted Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-3.
Elsewhere, Briton Cameron Norrie will face Richard Gasquet in the Auckland Classic final on Saturday after the Frenchman was also gifted a walkover victory in the semis on Friday.
Second seed Norrie made it through to the final with a convincing 6-3, 6-4 victory over American Jenson Brooksby in his first straight-set win of the week.
Gasquet – once ranked as high as seventh in the world but is now 67th – did not get to take the court with compatriot Constant Lestienne.
Lestienne pulled out with a shoulder injury suffered during his quarter-final win over Serb Laslo Djere the previous day. AFP
