Sports
After losing the first set, Azarenka fought back in the next but finally called it a day when trailing in the third set.
Updated : Sep 30, 2017, 05:54 AM IST
Victoria Azarenka's renaissance suffered a setback on Tuesday when the former world number one, hampered by a knee problem, pulled out of the French Open during her first-round match.
The fifth seed from Belarus finally called it a day when trailing 6-3 6-7(6) 4-0 against Italian Karin Knapp.
Azarenka, who had begun to look back to her best this season after two injury-ravaged years, had opened up a 3-1 lead in the first set before world number 118 Knapp stepped up a gear and won five games in a row.
She called on the trainer at 3-3 in the second set after locking her right knee in the previous game. At 5-5 she could barely serve and smashed her racquet on the court in frustration. She still managed to force a tiebreak, which she won 8-6 after saving a match point. But it went downhill from there and Azarenka threw in the towel after four games in the decider.