French Open, day 5 women’s roundup: Top seed Barty retires in second round; Swiatek, Kenin advance

Top seed Ashleigh Barty retired injured midway through the second set of her French Open second-round match against Poland’s Magda Linette on Thursday while defending champion Iga Swiatek eased into the third round with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson.

The Australian, who won the title on her last visit to Roland Garros in 2019, left the court for medical treatment after losing the first set 6-1. She had struggled with a hip problem during her first-round win and called it quits at 2-2 in the second set on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Unseeded Linette will face Tunisian 25th seed Ons Jabeur in the last 32.

Swiatek hasn’t dropped a set at Roland Garros in her last nine matches. The eighth-seeded Pole goes on to face Estonian 30th seed Anett Kontaveit for a place in the last 16.

Elsewhere, fourth seed and 2020 runner-up Sofia Kenin reached the last 32 with a 7-5, 6-3 win over qualifier and fellow American Hailey Baptiste.

Kenin, beaten by Iga Swiatek in last year’s final, goes on to face American 28th seed Jessica Pegula who defeated Tereza Martincova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3.

Fifth seed Elina Svitolina was also through to the third round, blanking Ann Li 6-0, 6-4.

However, ninth seed Karolina Pliskova exited at the hands of 2018 runner-up Sloane Stephens as the 59th-ranked American won 7-5, 6-1.

Magda Linette progresses to the third-round after 2019 Champion Ashleigh Barty retires due to injury, 6-1, 2-2 [ret].

The Pole meets Ons Jabeur next. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/qZvFBe3GaL
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2021

Barty also retired injured from the Italian Open during her quarter-final against Coco Gauff last month.

The 25-year-old’s withdrawal leaves the tournament already without the world’s top three-ranked women’s players. World No 2Naomi Osaka stunned the sport by pulling out following a media boycott, saying she has suffered “bouts of depression” for three years.

Third-ranked Simona Halep, the 2018 French Open winner, withdrew before the event with injury.

That leaves world number four Aryna Sabalenka as the top remaining player in the draw, despite the Belarusian never having reached a Grand Slam quarter-final.