SO CLOSE:Lee Kuan-yi withdrew from his singles quarter-final, despite the match nearing a conclusion. His sister and the other Taiwanese in action all had victories
Taipei Times
Date: Aug 27, 2017
By: Liang Wei-ming and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Taiwanese fifth seed Lee Kuan-yi conceded his quarter-final against Russia’s Roman
Taiwan’s Lee Kuan-yi leans on his racket during his quarter-final against Roman Safiullin at the Taipei Tennis Center yesterday. Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Safiullin after debilitating leg cramps and heat exhaustion prevented him from continuing his Taipei Summer Universiade match in the third set with the score 3-6, 6-0, 5-5 at the Taipei Tennis Center yesterday.
The match began at noon and continued for nearly two hours as the temperature reached as high as 34°C.
Lee lost the first set, but stormed back in the second, winning to love, before retiring with the decider so close.
Lee’s coach called for an injury timeout after the second set, but despite a massage, Lee’s cramps came back with a vengeance in the latter half of the third set.
The cramps were so severe that Lee could not stand.
After he left the court on a wheelchair, Lee was taken to Tri-Service General Hospital and was diagnosed with heat exhaustion — a condition the athlete said was probably due to a combination of high temperatures and a failure to sufficiently rehydrate after experiencing mild diarrhea. [FULL STORY]
