Defending champion Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from the Apia International Sydney due to a gastrointestinal illness on Sunday. This is the second consecutive tournament where she was forced to pull out due to the lingering virus.
Kvitova retired from her opening match at the Shenzhen Open last week in China after dropping the first set to China’s Zheng Saisai. She was seeded no. 3 in the Sydney tournament. The world No. 6 was scheduled to face Germany’s Sabine Lisicki on Monday.
Kvitova Speaks
The 26-year-old Czech was sad at having not to defend her title. “I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from the Apia Sydney International, but unfortunately, I am still not feeling well,” said Kvitova in a statement.
“Being defending champion, this tournament obviously means a lot to me, and I’ve always had a wonderful time playing this event,” she added. “I look forward to coming back in future years to play for my fantastic fans.”
There is definitely a concern on how Kvitova will fair at next week’s Australian Open with her ongoing illness. She is lacking match practice when the Slam starts next week. The question of how fast Kvitova can get back to full strength will be a big factor on how far she will go at the year’s first Slam. The Czech didn’t fair well in last year’s Australian Open as she was upset by American Madison Keys in straight sets.
In last year’s Sydney tournament, she was seeded second. On her way to the finals, she beat Peng Shuai in the second round after receiving a first-round bye, survived a three-setter against Jarmila Gajdosova, and won her semifinal match against Tsevtana Pironkova in straight sets. In the finals, she faced fellow Czech Karolina Pliskova where Kvitova outlasted her 7-6(5), 7-6(6) in a tightly played two-setter.
Last year in August, Kvitova revealed that she got diagnosed with mononucleosis. Her diagnosis came weeks after Wimbledon. However, Kvitova disclosed that she contracted the illness during spring that year.