Coco Gauff overcame a dramatic on-court illness, vomiting during her Madrid Open match, to secure a remarkable victory, as a stomach virus appears to be circulating among players.
The American third seed, who was a set and a break down against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, had to rush off court to be sick during the second set. This incident follows Iga Swiatek’s withdrawal from the tournament, with the Pole revealing a stomach virus was affecting players in the locker room. Swiatek retired during the third set of her third-round match against Ann Li.
Despite calling a medical timeout, Gauff displayed incredible resilience, turning the match around to win 4-6 7-5 6-1.
Reflecting on her challenging experience, Gauff told Sky Sports: “I don’t know how I got it done. Just dealing with a lot of trying to keep my food down. But once I threw up – and I was able to throw up after the first set – I felt a bit better.”
“It was just a tough match. I think I got the Madrid stomach virus that’s going around. I’m usually someone who doesn’t get sick. My luck today just wasn’t good.”
Gauff will hope to recover in time for her fourth-round clash against 13th seed Linda Noskova.
The Czech benefited from a walkover on Sunday, with 20th seed Liudmila Samsonova apparently another victim of the virus and not able to take to the court.
Clay specialist Marta Kostyuk dispatched fifth seed Jessica Pegula in an emphatic 6-1, 6-4 victory in just an hour and 13 minutes.
Jannik Sinner dropped a set in his opening match to Benjamin Bonzi but was much more comfortable in beating qualifier Elmer Moller 6-2 6-3 to move into the fourth round.
The Italian is doing his best to avoid catching any germs, saying: “I heard (there were) many withdrawals.
“I don’t spend a lot of time here. I come match days a little bit earlier, but practice days very late. I practise and then I get away. But this is how I do every tournament.
“I don’t know if it’s something what’s just around here, or in general, but this can happen. When one gets sick, you’re always quite close to each other in the dining rooms and in the gym.”
The victory was Sinner’s 19th in a row as he chases a record fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title.
Sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti saw off Tallon Griekspoor 6-4 7-5, while in-form Frenchman Arthur Fils is also through to the fourth round.
