Stefanos Tsitsipas was forced to retire just minutes into his Barcelona Open quarterfinal clash against Arthur Fils. The Greek star was trailing 2-0 in the opening set when he took a medical timeout. Though he briefly returned to the court, he soon decided he couldn’t continue, ending the match after only six minutes of play.
Fils, despite advancing to the semifinals, expressed some disappointment at the abrupt finish.
“We played six minutes and now we stop… I was ready to battle for hours,” said Fils. “Tsitsipas is a champion. I hope it’s nothing serious and that he’ll be ready for the French Open.”
Fils speculated Tsitsipas may have been struggling with a back issue but wasn’t certain. The Frenchman will now face Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal and is looking to bounce back after losing to the world No. 3 at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier this month.
“We had a great match in Monte Carlo. Tomorrow will be different — we’re in Spain, and he’s playing amazing here. I’m hoping for another good battle,” Fils added.
