One of the most emotional sights over the past week at the 2026 French Open happened on Wednesday when American Hailey Baptiste of Washington, District of Columbia fell in her women’s second round match against Xiyu Wang of China. At the time of the fall, Baptiste was trailing Wang 5-4 in the first set as Wang was up by a break of service.
On Sunday it was confirmed by Dzevad Mesic of Tennis World that Baptiste tore her anterior cruciate ligament and also suffered meniscus damage. Baptiste has been very emotional in coming to terms with the injury.
Baptiste screamed when the injury happened and needed a wheelchair to get off the court. At the time, Baptiste was returning a Wang shot during a rally and was located behind the baseline. According to Shantanu Bhattacharjee of Yahoo! Sports, there is a genuine feeling that Baptiste will now be out six months due to the ailment. This will mean Baptiste will miss Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
It has been a marvelous season for Baptiste to say the least. Currently ranked 26th in the world, she has a record this season of 17 wins and 11 losses. Her most high profile tournament came on clay when she reached the semifinals of the 2026 Madrid Open. In the quarterfinals of Madrid, Baptiste stunned world number one Aryna Sabaklenka of Belarus, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6.
There are three Americans left in the singles draw. The only American female left is Madison Keys. While on the men’s side, Frances Tiafoe and Zachary Svajda are in the round of 16.
