Eighth-seeded Elina Svitolina advanced to the third round at Wimbledon when Maragrita Gasparyan had to retire with a leg injury that occurred during the second set of their match on Wednesday.
It’s a big break for Svitolina, as Gasparyan was leading 7-5, 5-6, and on the verge of a big upset (two points from the match at 5-4 in the second) when she was force out with the injury.
Gasparyan was hurt after delivering a serve at 0-15, clutching her left thigh in pain while laying on the baseline for several minutes as she received treatment from a physical therapist. Svitolina was bringing her water.
“I know when there is cramps, you need to drink lots of water,” Svitolina said. “Your muscles are contracting. So it’s important just to drink lots of fluids. So that’s why I gave her some water, because no one really did anything. I mean, we were trying to help, but, yeah, it’s tough to react straightaway.”
Gasparyan has had her fair share of injuries, and has had three surgeries on her left knee since her last Wimbledon appearance back in 2016