MADRID OPEN STAR COLLAPSES TO THE FLOOR AFTER BALL HITS HER HEAD AND OPPONENT KICKS OFF

A row erupted at the Madrid Open when Bethanie Mattek-Sands was struck in the head with a tennis ball during her doubles match against Erin Routliffe and Ashlyn Krueger. Mattek-Sands teamed up with Sofia Kenin, with the pair eventually sealing victory in three sets to book their place in the round of 16.

A powerful return from Routliffe hit Mattek-Sands in the head towards the end of the second set, causing her to immediately collapse to the ground. She remained prone for around three minutes while holding an icepack to her head before calling a lengthy medical timeout.

Mattek-Sands was treated by a medic and took her time to regroup while a concussion check was being carried out. The length of the stoppage irked Routliffe, who was clearly unhappy with the amount of time provided to her opponent during the break in play.

The match eventually resumed, with Mattek-Sands showing little sign of discomfort as she wrapped up the match with a neat volley in the final set. There was a frosty handshake between Mattek-Sands and Routliffe during the post-match pleasantries, with the latter seemingly frustrated over the medical timeout.

Mattek-Sands and Kenin have enjoyed an impressive 2024, winning doubles titles in Abu Dhabi and Miami before reaching the latter stages of the Madrid Open. The former will be hoping to make a swift recovery from any potential head injury as she prepares to return to action in Madrid over the coming days.

The pair will have a few days of rest before their next match as they wait to discover who they will need to beat for a place in the quarter-finals. They could potentially face Coco Gauff and Taylor Townsend, who are the fourth seeds, in the last 16.

Back in March, Mattek-Sands and Kenin entered the Miami Open as alternates and were not considered among the favourites to win the tournament. However, they successfully held their nerve in every match to come away with the spoils, sealing the trophy with a comfortable win over Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski in the final.

"We went through it all today," said Mattek-Sands after the match. "You really want to be flexible and adaptable, and be grounded in that moment, and I feel, like, that will get you [through] whether you're up or you're down."

2024-04-26T13:51:25Z dg43tfdfdgfd