WATCH: Simona Halep retires due to extreme heat at Citi Open In Washington
WTA
Simona Halep was forced to retire from her second-round match at the Citi Open in Washington after finding the extreme heat too much to handle.
The two-time Grand Slam champion hoped for a deep run in Washington to begin her North American hardcourt season. Halep had found form on grass by reaching the semifinals at all three events she played on the surface.
She made a solid start in the opening round against Cristina Bucsa, winning 6-3, 7-5. The Romanian was not at her blistering best in that match but played well in the critical moments to overcome her gritty opponent.
In the following round, Halep faced the young and talented Anna Kalinskaya. That match promised to be difficult in any conditions, but the extreme heat in Washington made it even more challenging.
Although Halep is a very fit player, she has had issues in hot and humid conditions in the past. Unfortunately for the 2019 Wimbledon champion, those problems resurfaced against Kalinskaya.
Halep fell 0-4 down in the first set, already visibly struggling in the early stages. Despite bravely fighting back to 5-5, the 30-year-old lost the opening set 5-7. Coming back from a set down in the brutal heat was a daunting task.
The former world No. 1's struggles became more acute during the first two games of the second set. As seen in the video below, Halep felt she could not continue and retired from the match at 5-7, 0-2.
Players must deal with extreme heat when they compete in the U.S. in August and September. Conditions will be similar at the Cincinnati and U.S. Open in a few weeks.
Hopefully, Halep was just not used to the conditions after not playing in the U.S. since March, and she does not suffer more issues with the heat throughout the North American hardcourt season.
