Bianca Andreescu was forced to leave her Miami Open match in a wheelchair after suffering a horrific ankle injury.
The 22-year-old was playing Ekaterina Alexandrova in the round of 16 at the WTA 1000 tournament, having already defeated Emma Raducanu, Maria Sakkari and Sofia Kenin.
Andreescu had lost the first set to a tiebreak, but battled back at the start of the second to immediately break Alexandrova’s serve.
Disaster struck in the third game, however, with the Canadian slipping and immediately falling to the ground in agony.
Andreescu was in serious discomfort as she clutched her left ankle, screaming: “I’ve never felt this kind of pain before!”
She continued: “It’s so bad! It’s so bad!”, before shouting: “Not again!”
Andreescu was then taken off court in a wheelchair looking heartbroken, with her mum wiping away tears in the crowd.
Video: Watch Bianca Andreescu suffer ankle injury at Miami Open
Bianca Andreescu’s injury woes continue
Andreescu has been plagued with injuries since she won the US Open as a teenager in 2019.
She had triumphed at the Canadian Open in the same year, defeating Serena Williams in both finals.
Andreescu then picked up a knee injury at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen in October 2019 and was out for 15 months, before the COVID-19 pandemic impacted her return to court.
The young tennis star has been making steady progress since, although she has still struggled with the occasional injury setback.
Her run at this year’s Miami Open included some of her most impressive performances in recent years, but it appears she is back to square one.
“I’m just really sorry that it happened to [Andreescu],” Alexandrova said after her opponent was taken off the court.
“Seeing her on the court in so much pain, it’s just painful to watch. You cannot help, you just can do nothing, which is terrible. And I think she’s going to be fine soon, and I’m wishing for her speedy recovery.
“The first set was super tough and great, and it probably could be a pretty good match for both of us, but unfortunately [Andreescu’s injury] happened.”
