Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 14, 2024 Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki is interview after Poland's Magda Linette retired injured from their first round match REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Former champion Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the second round of the Australian Open after four years away as last year's semi-finalist Magda Linette retired due to injury while trailing 6-2 2-0.
Dane Wozniacki came out of retirement last year after the birth of her two children and reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open where she lost to eventual champion Coco Gauff but showed she could still compete at the highest level.
The 2018 Melbourne Park champion was up 5-2 in the opening set when 20th seed Linette took a medical timeout after struggling to move, and the ailing Pole was unable to continue shortly after going down by two games in the second set.
"It's never nice to see that. Magda is a good friend of mine. I followed her last year and how unbelievably she played last year here," said Wozniacki, who will next play Maria Timofeeva after the Russian beat France's Alize Cornet 6-2 6-4.
"Obviously this isn't how I wanted to finish it. I really hope it's not too serious and she recovers soon."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
