British tennis player Fran Jones had to withdraw from the Colsanitas Cup in Bogota. She collapsed during her match against Julia Riera of Argentina.
The 24-year-old fell to the ground while serving towards the end of the third set. Unable to continue, she was assisted off the court in a wheelchair.
The Colsanitas Cup confirmed Jones`s withdrawal from the tournament in an online announcement.
According to a statement on the Colsanitas Cup`s X account, Francesca Jones retired from her match against Julia Riera due to a physical problem when the score was 6-2, 5-7, 5-3 in Riera`s favour. They wished her a quick recovery.
It appeared Jones was having trouble breathing during the final set of her first-round match. Medics and her opponent helped her into a wheelchair after she lay on the court for a while, and then she was taken away.
Jones, ranked world No. 129, has Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia, a rare genetic disorder. She is missing a finger on each hand and has only seven toes.
Completing matches has been difficult for her throughout her career, as Jones frequently experiences severe cramping. This marks her 19th match retirement overall and her second this year.
Jones lost the first set 6-2 but came back to win the second 7-5. However, she was down 5-3 in the third set, just two points from losing the match. In the next round of 16, Riera will play against Iva Jovic of the USA.
Meanwhile, in the first round of the Charleston Open in the USA, Britain`s Heather Watson was defeated in straight sets by Iryna Shymanovich of Belarus, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4.
Watson saved three set points in a close first set but missed her chance to take the lead during the tie-break.
The 32-year-old was broken four times in the second set, including in her last two service games. Shymanovich will now face top seed Jessica Pegula, the US Open finalist from last year, in the round of 32.
