Ekaterina Alexandrova collapses on court in Memphis

World number 19 Ekaterina Alexandrova collapsed on court and had to retire from her first-round match at the Memphis Classic due to extreme heat. The Russian tennis player, who was the number one seed, was facing 16-year-old compatriot Kristina Liutova and was trailing 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 5-4 when the incident occurred in temperatures reaching 34C.

During the match, a pause was called as Alexandrova attempted to continue playing but received a time violation for taking too long to serve due to her struggles. In the midst of the next point, she fell to the ground and required immediate medical attention. Though the 31-year-old was able to stand, she ultimately had to forfeit the match, which lasted over three hours, granting Liutova the victory in her debut on the WTA tour. The teenager was visibly upset and left in tears on court amid the chaotic situation.

In other tennis news, Venus Williams lost in the first round of the Mubadala DC Open in Washington DC on Tuesday. The 46-year-old veteran, whose last singles win came at this event last year, fell to Austria's Anastasia Potapova with a score of 6-3, 6-3. Williams had a successful first serve percentage of 78.4% but struggled significantly with her second serve, winning only 24.1% of those points and 20% of her return points.