Coco Gauff bares 'unfamiliar pain' in Indian Wells Open loss to Alex Eala

World no. 4 Coco Gauff revealed she felt a weird and unfamiliar pain during her Indian Wells Open Round of 32 clash against Filipina ace Alex Eala on Monday morning (Manila time).

Struggling to continue, Gauff retired early in the second set with Eala leading 6-2, 2-0, which handed the young Filipina star the victory and a ticket to the Round of 16 against Linda Noskova on Wednesday. 

"Hey everyone thanks for all the sweet messages. I felt a weird pain in my left arm in the second game of the match, I tried to continue but it was only getting more intense," Gauff said in an Instagram story shortly after the match. 

"As most of you know I rarely have to end matches with a retirement but because it was such an unfamiliar pain I decided it was best to not continue."

This marked only the second time Gauff had to retire in a match in her career so far. The 21-year-old American phenom also retired during the Round of 64 of the 2022 Cincinnati Open against Marie Bouzkova, 5-7, 0-1. 

Despite the loss, Gauff sent her best wishes to Eala as the Pinay star aims to advance further in her Indian Wells debut. She also revealed that she will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to assess the extent of her injury.

"Never felt anything like this before, going to get an mri tomorrow to see what's up but I'll be okay," Gauff said. 

"Good luck to Alex the rest of the way, always a pleasure sharing the court with you!"

—JMB, GMA Integrated News