By Rory Carroll
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (Reuters) – Amanda Anisimova, who abruptly retired from her second-round match against Canadian Leylah Fernandez at Indian Wells on Saturday, said on Sunday said she had been feeling too ill to continue.
The American cruised through the first set 6-2 and was 5-4 40-0 up when teenager Fernandez stormed back, saving four match points to force a tiebreak that she dominated 7-6(0).
Before the anticipated third set could begin, Anisimova told the chair umpire she was not feeling well and rushed off the court to the stunned disappointment of the 5,000 fans packed into Stadium Two.
“Hi everyone, unfortunately I’ve been quite sick the last few days and yesterday woke up feeling very ill,” Anisimova wrote in a social media post.
“I wanted to try to push through it in the match and continue playing the tournament. I couldn’t go on with the match anymore because I felt like I was putting my health at risk at that point.
“It’s disappointing for me to end this week like this, but that’s just the way it is sometimes. I’ll try to be better next time. I’ll look forward to getting back on the court soon. And please keep your negative comments to yourself.”
The hard-hitting 20-year-old was a contender at the tournament and won the pre-tournament Eisenhower Cup, an exhibition where the players compete in 10-point tiebreaks.
At January’s Australian Open, Anisimova beat Naomi Osaka and Belinda Bencic before falling to eventual champion Ash Barty in the fourth round.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; editing by Clare Fallon)
