FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Day 3 of the U.S. Open got off
to a scary start when No. 10 seed Victoria Azarenka, in Serena Williams’ absence among the U.S. Open favorites, collapsed during her second-round match against Giseka Dulko and was wheeled off the Grandstand Court.
With the on-court temperature hovering around 104 degrees, the Belarusian looked off from the start, calling for a medical timeout down 3-0 in the first set and even whiffing on a serve while trailing 4-0. Then, with Dulko ahead 5-1, Azarenka meekly stroked a backhand before wobbling behind the baseline, where she collapsed. After hitting a backhand to the open court, Dulko immediately approached the net in concern, watching as officials surrounded her opponent.
Just 34 minutes into the match, Azarenka was done, and Dulko had advanced via a default win. Azarenka was hustled off the court in a wheelchair, with her neck supported and her head held upright.
“It was terrible. It’s not nice to see someone like this, feeling bad,” said Dulko. “It’s not nice to win a match this way. I was feeling good, playing really good, but I hope she feels okay.”
Immediate speculation was that Azarenka might have been a victim of heat exhaustion. Heat played a major factor in her default loss to Serena in the fourth round of the ’09 Australian Open. But it was later revealed that Azarenka suffered a mild concussion during a pre-match warm-up session.
“I fell while running a sprint,” said Azarenka. “I fell forward and hit my arm and head. I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside for monitoring. I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell.”
“I was scared because she was on the floor, as you could see,” added Dulko, who said Azarenka was conscious. “It’s scary to see someone like this in a match. Of course, I was worried for her and I felt that I had to go to see her, bring some ice or do whatever I can to help.”
Azarenka was transported from the player treatment center to a nearby hospital for diagnostic testing.
