Baptiste retires from 2026 French Open after suffering injury on awkward fall

Hailey Baptiste. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

American Hailey Baptiste retires from 2026 French Open after suffering injury on awkward fall

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 27, 2026 3:45 PM ET

American Hailey Baptiste seemed poised to make her deepest run at the French Open, but it's now over after she suffered an injury on Wednesday.

Trailing 5-4 in the first set in her second-round match against China's Xiyu Wang at Court 6 at Roland-Garros in Paris, Baptiste lost her footing while chasing the ball on a return and landed awkwardly on her left knee on the clay court. Her father, Quasim, then came to console her. Wang checked on her as well.

The injury forced Baptiste to retire. She exited the court in a wheelchair in tears.

How far was Hailey Baptiste expected to go at the 2026 French Open?

Baptiste, 24, broke out this season. She earned the biggest victory of her career, stunning world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open quarterfinal on April 28, winning 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (6).

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

That victory propelled Baptiste, who entered Tuesday with a 19-12 record in 2026, to No. 25 in the world on May 4, her best ranking to date. The unexpected rise of Baptiste (now No. 26 in the world) landed her a sponsorship deal with Nike on May 23, via longtime tennis journalist Jessica Schiffer.

Nike execs have answered our prayers and signed Hailey Baptiste to a head-to-toe sponsorship deal. She previously had an in-kind deal with them, meaning she got free clothing but wasn’t paid. pic.twitter.com/NjlVtgOSDR
— Jessica Schiffer (@jessicaschiffer) May 23, 2026

Baptiste could've been in line for more deals if she had gone deep at the French Open, and the U.S. star likely would have. She was clearly gaining momentum before the tournament and was already a solid clay-court player, entering Tuesday's match with a 106-64 record on the surface, per TennisLive.com.

Does Hailey Baptiste have an extensive injury history?

Baptiste has suffered minor setbacks but no major injuries during the course of her career until Tuesday. Elbow and abdominal pain forced her to retire from a Round of 64 match against Alex Eala at the Dubai Tennis Champions in February. She also suffered an ankle sprain in 2019, which forced her to use crutches for two weeks.

The injury she suffered on Wednesday looked much more severe than the previous injuries. Depending on the diagnosis, it could dampen what has otherwise been an amazing season for Baptiste.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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