Luckless Australian tennis battler Jason Kubler has suffered a gut-wrenching second-round blow at the US Open at Flushing Meadows.
In contention for the most significant win of his injury-plagued career, Kubler was forced to retire from his clash with American young gun Taylor Fritz after rolling his ankle late in the third set.
Luckless: Australia’s Jason Kubler had to withdraw from his match due to injury.
Unable to move or serve, Kubler called it quits while trailing 6-3 3-6 6-3.
Meanwhile, compatriot Daria Gavrilova is lamenting a grand slam season of lost opportunity after she also crashed out in the second round.
Gavrilova was no match for Victoria Azarenka, succumbing 6-1 6-2 to the resurgent former world No.1 and two-time Australian Open champion.
"I'm pretty disappointed. I just didn't execute today," said Australia's 25th seed.
"I was just making way too many errors with my forehand. My serving percentage was pretty poor too, so it puts me under a lot of pressure."
More steamy conditions at Flushing Meadows also left Gavrilova feeling hot and bothered.
"It doesn't help when you're losing and it's hot as well so you have to fight the heat and the opponent and your emotions because you're not playing as well as you want to," she said.
"So it gets a bit frustrating."
Most frustrating of all for the 24-year-old was her inability to convert promising starts at any of the season's majors.
For the first time, Gavrilova won matches at all four slams, reaching the third round in Paris and London, without moving on.
"It sucks not making the second week," said the former world junior champion. "This was probably a tough second round, but I'm not too happy overall."
On the comeback trail after winning a long battle to secure custody of her toddler son, Azarenka is fast emerging as a serious threat to the big guns after cruising into the last 32 without dropping a set.
A two-time runner-up in New York, the Belarusian needed a wildcard to contest the Open for the first time since 2015.
"I'm really happy with my level. I managed to stay consistent after a couple of months of many ups and downs," Azarenka said.
Ousted: Gavrilova feels she has missed some opportunities in 2018.
"This year's been an extremely hard year for me personally. I kind of jumped in when I wasn't quite ready. The motivation is different, of course. I'm a mum off the court and I have big responsibilities to be the best mum I can be.
"But I'm still a tennis player and I still have my own personal goals and I feel that this can work together."
Azarenka's form will be put to the test in the next round against third-seeded defending champion Sloane Stephens, a three-set victor over Ukrainian qualifier Anhelina Kalinina.
AAP
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