Hailey Baptiste was in the midst of the best stretch of her tennis career before disaster struck at the French Open.
She fell to the ground with a knee injury that forced her to concede the match and prematurely put her French Open run to an end.
In the past month, Hailey Baptiste rose to her highest-ever WTA rank and defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid. At 24 years old, she had risen through the ranks and began to garner household name status for some. But she won’t be able to continue her stretch of dominance at this French Open.
Here’s what happened to Hailey Baptiste at Roland Garros.
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Hailey Baptiste injury updates
With the freshness of the injury, there is currently no official diagnosis about the damage that her knee endured.
She was unable to walk off the court safely on her own, instead rising to sit in a wheelchair and be rolled off by paramedics.
Hailey Baptiste has retired from her match after suffering a lower body injury. pic.twitter.com/JmxwO64v7J
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) May 27, 2026
During her injury assessment, there was support from many around her. Her opponent came to check on her, as well as the chair umpire and Baptiste’s father.
This marks the second time this year where Baptiste has had to retire from an event. During the Dubai Tennis Championships, Baptiste retired in round one due to abdominal pain and right elbow discomfort.
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What happened to Hailey Baptiste?
Baptiste was up against Wang Xiyu when she tried to hit a forehand and her left knee buckled beneath her. She fell backward with a scream. Baptiste was able to stand, but had to be helped off the court with a wheelchair and forced to retire in this match.
At the time, Xiyu was up 5-4 in games during the first set of action. While Xiyu surely wanted to see how the match would end, she will nonetheless move on to the next round of competition.
Hailey Baptiste world ranking
Baptiste is ranked No. 26 on the WTA Singles Rankings, and peaked as high as No. 25. On the doubles circuit, Baptiste ranks No. 129.
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