Azarenka collapse shocks US Open September 02, 2010
Belarus 10th seed Victoria Azarenka needed hospital treatment at the US Open on Wednesday after collapsing on court in the first set of her second-round tie against Gisela Dulka of Argentina.
With temperatures climbing into the 90s Fahrenheit (30s Celsius) for a third staright day, Azarenka quickly fell 1-5 down after 34 minutes against her more experienced South American opponent.
The 21-year-old then suddenly collapsed behind the baseline after Dulko had smacked a forehand past her and received treatment for several minutes before retiring from the tie.
She was taken away from the court in a wheelchair.
US Open referee Brian Earley said in a statment: "Victoria Azarenka retired from her match with headache-like symptoms.
"She was taken to a nearby hospital for diagnostic testing. Out of respect to her privacy we can not give any more details.
"However, we can say that this does not seem to be primarily a heat-related illness."
The player later explained that she had fallen in the gym prior to her match while running a sprint and had stumbled forward, hitting her head and arm
"I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside for monitoring," she said.
"I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell.
"I was taken to the hospital for some medical tests and have been diagnosed with a mild concussion."
A former top junior, Azarenka is regarded as one of the best young players in the world at the moment and had been expected to make a run at the title here.
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