Very unusual scenes occurred at the 2023 Adelaide International 2, as both finalists at the event were decided by a walkover.
Usually, players fight for every dollar of prize money and for every point that they can get at WTA 500 events, as those are the third highest-level tournaments on the WTA Tour.
However, that changes when a Grand Slam tournament is around the corner, as it's in this case. The 2023 Australian Open will start on Monday, and it caused a very bizarre situation in Adelaide.
In the first semi-final match of the event, the World No. 11 player, Paula Badosa, was set to play against No. 8 Daria Kasatkina. Both had a great event until then, and it seemed that they would battle it out for the final spot.
However, the Spanish player withdrew because of a right thigh, and in a statement, she admitted that it was also because of the upcoming major, as she wanted to rest and recover prior to the Australian Open.
"Yesterday, when I was playing against Bia, it was a very tough match, especially physical, so I felt a little bit in my abductor. I felt like I pulled it a little bit. Today, I feel a little bit worse. I have the Australian Open ahead, and I hope I can recover for that."
A few hours later, World No. 13 Belinda Bencic was supposed to take on No. 9, Veronika Kudermetova in another match of two very high-ranked players.
However, this time, the Russian withdrew from the event, and so the final match at the 2023 Adelaide International 2 was decided without a single tennis ball hit.
The eighth-seeded Belinda Bencic will play against the fifth-seeded Daria Kasatkina, and fans in the city will hope that the final will be played.
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