Katie Boulter broke down in tears after being forced to retire at the Hong Kong Open.
The former British No. 1 lost the first set to Alexandra Eala 6-4 before quitting while 2-1 down in the second, The Sun reports.
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She called a physio and received treatment in order to try and continue, but was unable to.
It was an emotional affair for Boulter who burst into tears at the end of the match.
It is a blow for the 29-year-old who is now at risk of dropping out of the top 100.
She has 744 ranking points with several other stars ready to overtake her.
Watch the emotional scenes in the video above
Boulter last year finished as runner-up at the Hong Kong Open but this time only made it as far as the first round.
Her other recent results include a third-round exit at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, and a second-round appearance at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open.
Eala’s celebrations were muted and she showed sympathy for Boulter’s predicament after the match.
She said: “I’m a little out of words. I think this time of the year is tough moments for a lot of players, physically and mentally, being the end of the season.
“So I hope that Katie can take this time to recover and just look back at her season proudly.”
Boulter is the fiancee of Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur, but it’s been a tough week for the tennis power couple.
De Minaur has had another solid season but went down to Jannik Sinner for the 12th time in as many meetings.
Sinner defeated de Minaur 6-3 6-4 in the Vienna Open semi-final despite the Aussie throwing his best effort at the Italian.
“He changed a couple of things, which I was ready for today,” Sinner said after the match.
“I don’t want to say (what). He knows.
“He knows what to do, how to put (me) under pressure and the moment when you don’t serve very well, you have to play every ball and every point.
“He can get very physical. He changed up with the slice a bit, also the slice down the line today and opening the court. Many small things he has changed.”
This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.
