American tennis star Coco Gauff gave a new meaning to the phrase "puke and rally" at the Madrid Open on Sunday. Despite battling an apparent stomach bug, she defeated Sorana Cirstea in the Round of 32 at the tournament in the Spanish capital.
Gauff's Struggle on Court
During the second set, Gauff was seen vomiting into a garbage bin on the side of the court. She also received medical attention during a break in play, having her blood pressure taken before returning to the court to rally to victory.
After the match, Gauff admitted that throwing up actually helped her feel better and enabled her to secure the hard-fought win. "I don't know how I got it done," she said in an interview with Sky Sports. "Once I threw up and I was able to throw up again after the first set and then throw up again, I felt a little better. I think I got the Madrid stomach virus that's going around."
Match Details
Gauff won the match 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 against the Romanian. She advanced to the Round of 16, where she will face Linda Noskova on Monday morning.
Other Players Affected
Gauff is not the only competitor to fall ill during the tournament. Several players have reported weakness and fatigue. No. 4 seed and former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek retired during the third set of her match against No. 31 seed Ann Li, citing "zero stability and zero energy." Liudmila Samsonova also withdrew from her Round of 32 match against Noskova due to illness. On the men's side, Marin Cilic withdrew prior to his second-round match against No. 27 seed Joao Fonseca on Friday.
