Rybakina retires from quarterfinal against Azarenka in Berlin

BERLIN (AP) — Elena Rybakina retired from her quarterfinal in Berlin on Friday, seemingly because of illness.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion was trailing Victoria Azarenka 3-1 in the first set at the grass-court Ladies Open and stopped playing after her double fault made it 15-15 in the fifth game.

Rybakina sat on her bench, put her hands to her face but didn't wait for a medical evaluation. After 40 seconds, she got up and quickly jogged to the locker room.

On Thursday, Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova retired from her match in Berlin because of a leg injury.

First-round play begins at Wimbledon on July 1.

Former No. 1 Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, will face second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka or Anna Kalinskaya in the semifinals.

Fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula led Katerina Siniakova 7-6 (2), 3-6, 4-2 when rain interrupted play. They will finish their match Saturday.

The other two quarterfinals were moved to Saturday: Sabalenka vs. Kalinskaya; and top-seeded Coco Gauff against Ons Jabeur.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis