Simona Halep withdraws from Italian Open with an abdominal injury

Simona Halep lost only one game in the final two sets against Madison Keys. (Michael Regan/Getty Images) ROME -- Hours after rallying to defeat Madison Keys

Courtney Nguyen|

Simona Halep lost only one game in the final two sets against Madison Keys. (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

ROME -- Hours after rallying to defeat Madison Keys 5-7, 6-0, 6-1 in the second round, No. 5 Simona Halep withdrew from the Italian Open because of an abdominal injury. She will return to Romania to get treatment and prepare for the French Open, which begins on May 25.

After dropping the first set to the young American, Halep raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but then called for the trainer. She won nine of the last 10 games to lock up the victory. The win secured Halep a career-high No. 4 WTA ranking next week, which means she will be seeded in the top four at the French Open.

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Published May 14, 2014 | Modified May 14, 2014

COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.

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