Hailey Baptiste looked set to push Xiyu Wang in their French Open second round before a horrific left knee injury forced her out of the match in tears and a wheelchair.
The moment it happened, there was no dramatic build-up—just a scramble behind the baseline, a sudden loss of footing, and then a collapse that froze the French Open courtside in silence.
Hailey Baptiste. the 24-year-old American seeded at Roland Garros for the first time. was already in a tense first set against Xiyu Wang on Wednesday. trailing 5-4. In the middle of a prolonged deuce game on Wang’s serve, Baptiste chased a ball and fell hard. She grabbed her left knee immediately and screamed in pain. Her father rushed from the stands as medical personnel were called courtside.
After an on-court assessment, Baptiste was unable to continue. She left the court in tears in a wheelchair, an abrupt end to what had been the strongest Grand Slam stretch of her professional career.
No formal medical diagnosis was announced immediately after the match. Still, the nature of the injury—coming right in the middle of competition and after a horrific fall—raised serious fears about a potentially lengthy absence.
The timing makes it especially brutal. Baptiste entered Roland Garros in the best form of her career. arriving as a seeded player at the French Open for the first time. In the opening round. she delivered one of the tournament’s biggest early-round results by defeating two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Her breakthrough season had carried into this moment. In 2026, Baptiste had turned from a rising prospect into one of the fastest-rising names on the WTA Tour. Earlier this year, she reached the semifinals of the Madrid Open—her first WTA 1000 semifinal appearance—after defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in one of the biggest wins of her career.
That Madrid run pushed Baptiste into the top 25 of the WTA rankings for the first time. continuing a rapid rise that began in 2025. Entering this French Open, Baptiste was world No. 32 after reaching the third round of the Australian Open. finishing with the semifinals in Abu Dhabi. and recording her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Miami. In Miami, she defeated three consecutive top-30 players, including Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka.
All of it was supposed to keep moving forward on Wednesday—until her left knee failed her mid-rally.
Further updates about Baptiste’s injury can be expected in the coming days.
Hailey Baptiste Xiyu Wang French Open Roland Garros knee injury WTA Barbora Krejcikova Aryna Sabalenka Madrid Open Elina Svitolina wheelchair
Wheelchair in the French Open?? That’s awful.
I didn’t even know she was seeded for the first time. How does someone get hurt like that mid game and they don’t say what it is?? Seems suspicious like they’re hiding it or something.
Wasn’t this the same player who beat Sabalenka? Like she was on fire then bam knee nightmare. Tennis is so random, one second you’re top 25 the next you’re on a court bench. Hope it’s not ACL or whatever.
This is why I don’t like watching the deuce games, it’s always getting dragged out and people start running stupid routes. If she was trailing 5-4 and then fell, she probably stepped wrong because the baseline is slick or something. Idk I’m just guessing but that’s gotta mess you up bad.