British No 1 Katie Boulter advanced to the third round of the National Bank Open in Toronto after her opponent Beatriz Haddad Maia was forced to retire just two games into the contest.
Brazilian Haddad Maia had come through a marathon first-round match against Marie Bouzkova – which lasted three hours and 20 minutes – but was soon calling for the trainer after the opening game against Boulter.
The world No 33 received lengthy treatment on her lower back and although she tried to resume, Haddad Maia swiftly conceded after Boulter levelled the set at 1-1.
Boulter, who beat Bernarda Pera in the first round, will go on to face the winner of Aryna Sabalenka, the world number three, and China’s Yuan Yue for a place in the quarter-finals.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka takes on world No 42 Yue Yuan later with the winner set to face Boulter for a spot in the quarter-finals.
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Elsewhere on Thursday, top seed Coco Gauff comfortably beat Wang Yafan 6-4 6-4 in her second-round match.
“I think I made some more errors than I’m used to, but overall, I think I was building the points the correct way,” Gauff, who finished the match with 25 winners and 36 unforced errors, said. “I think I just have to do better making those next two balls. But overall, I’m happy with I played.”
Gauff’s next opponent will be No 14 seed Diana Shnaider, who won a third-set tie-break for the second time in as many matches this week to topple Poland’s Magdalena Frech.
What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?
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In the run-up to the final Grand Slam of 2024 – the US Open – you can watch all of the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports as they compete across the hard-court season.
- National Bank Open, Montreal (ATP 1000) – 6-12 August
- National Bank Open, Toronto (WTA 1000) – 6-12 August
- Cincinnati Open (ATP 1000) – 12-19 August
- Cincinnati Open (WTA 1000) – 13-19 August
- Winston-Salem Open (ATP 250) – 18-24 August
- Tennis in the Land, Cleveland (WTA 250) – 18-24 August
- Abierto GNP Seguros, Monterrey (WTA 500) – 19-24 August
- US Open (ATP/WTA) – 26 August – 8 September
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