World number four Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the ongoing French Open due to illness.
The reigning Wimbledon champion - who warmed up for the Grand Slam by winning the Italian Open last month - had strolled to a pair of straight-sets victories over Brenda Fruhvirtova and Linda Noskova en route to the third round, where she was due to meet Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo on Saturday.
However, shortly before she was due on court to meet Sorribes Tormo, Rybakina announced at a press conference that she had been struggling with her breathing due to her bug, and she would be forced to pull out of Roland-Garros as she looks ahead to the grass-court season.
"I saw the doctor and they said that actually it's all a virus here in Paris. I guess with my allergy, immune system just went down and I picked up something," Rybakina said.
"As I said, I was not sleeping well for two days. I had fever, headache. I think you can hear [my voice] also. So, yeah, it's difficult to perform and obviously to run and even breathe. So I think that was the only right decision I could make.
"Of course I'm really upset not be able to play, but I guess that's life. There is a lot of ups and downs. Today I just wanted to give 100 percent, and obviously I'm far from being 100 percent.
"I was actually coming positive here, but as I said, you never know how you're gonna feel. Was unlucky for me. Yeah, I just try to recover and do my best to be prepared for the grass season already."
As a result of the 23-year-old's withdrawal, Sorribes Tormo receives a bye into the fourth round, where she will face Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova or Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Ben Knapton
