French Open champion Garbine Muguruza of Spain pulled out of her opening match at the WTA hardcourt tournament in Montreal on Tuesday minutes before she was to take on Britain’s Naomi Broady.
Muguruza, the world number three who is seeded third in a tournament already hit by the withdrawal of Serena Williams, cited a gastrointestinal illness.
World number one Williams pulled out with inflammation in her shoulder over the weekend.
“I’m pretty disappointed, I practiced a lot for this tournament,” Garbine said. “Since yesterday, I have kind of been feeling weird and I spoke with the doctor and everything. I thought today I was going to feel better, but in the last moment I didn’t feel good enough to go on court and give my best.”
Although it was a second-round match, Muguruza enjoyed a first-round bye. Organizers filled her place in the draw with lucky loser Varvara Lepchenko of the United States, who stepped in at the last minute against qualifier Broady. –Â Agence France-Presse
