Bizarre situation in Adelaide as both finalists are decided by walkover
WTA
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.
