Wimbledon: Marta Kostyuk through as Paula Badosa retires, pulls out of mixed doubles

Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 5, 2023 Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk reacts during her first round match against Greece’s Maria Sakkari REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk reached the Wimbledon third round for the first time after her Spanish opponent Paula Badosa retired with an injury during their match on Friday.

The 21-year-old Kostyuk was leading 6-2 1-0 when Badosa pulled out with a back problem.

Badosa, the 25-year-old girlfriend of Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas who will renew his battle with Andy Murray later on Friday, missed the French Open due to a spinal stress fracture.

Badosa was scheduled to play with Tsitsipas in the mixed doubles but she has pulled out of the tournament saying the “smartest thing” to do was to stop playing.

“The injury is the same as I have been struggling the past weeks. It’s the stress fracture,” Badosa told reporters.

“I tried my best to try to play here, but yesterday when I woke up I already, after my first-round match, felt it again.

“It’s a little bit worse. So I will need a few days off and talk to my team and see what I do in the next days and the next weeks.”

Kostyuk defeated eighth seed Maria Sakkari in the first round and will hope to continue her run against 25th seed Madison Keys.