Wimbledon 2025 results: Aryna Sabalenka wins but Ons Jabeur retires

Earlier, Tunisian former world number two Jabeur visibly struggled in the conditions, leaving the court for 14 minutes for a medical timeout in the first set of her match against Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova.

Jabeur, who has dropped down the rankings over the past year because of injuries and is now 59th, eventually called it a day while trailing 7-6 (7-5) 2-0 after looking uncomfortable for much of the match.

She had looked distressed before that while sitting on her chair at the changeover, burying her head in her towel, drinking water and putting an ice towel around her neck before a physio took her blood pressure.

“I wasn’t expecting not to feel good,” said Jabeur, who did not hold a news conference and left with a doctor. “I have been practising pretty well the last few days but I guess these things happen.

“I’m pretty sad, it really doesn’t really help with my confidence and what I keep pushing myself to do, even though it has been a very tough season for me.”

She added that she would now rest and just “try to disconnect a little bit from tennis” and spend some time with her family.

Later in the day, last year’s Italian runner-up Jasmine Paolini survived a scare to beat Latvian world number 402 Anastasija Sevastova 2-6 6-3 6-2, while Australian Open champion Madison Keys also had to come from behind to beat Romania’s Elena-Gabriele Ruse 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 7-5.

It was, however, more straightforward for Marketa Vondrousova, who beat Jabeur in the 2023 Wimbledon final.

The Czech, who has struggled with injury over the past year but is rediscovering some form having won this month’s Berlin Open, set up a meeting with Britain’s Emma Raducanu by defeating Nottingham champion McCartney Kessler 6-1 7-6 (7-3).