World no. 4 Coco Gauff is set to undergo an MRI after a “weird pain” in her left arm forced her to retire against Alex Eala in the Round of 32 of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Coco Gauff is set to undergo an MRI after experiencing what she described as a “weird pain” in her left arm during her match against Alex Eala at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The world no. 4 was forced to retire from their Round of 32 encounter on Monday (PH time), handing Eala the victory and a place in the Round of 16.
In an Instagram Story posted after the match, the 21-year-old American revealed the discomfort began almost immediately.
[Screenshot from Coco Gauff's official Instagram account | @cocogauff]
“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 wrote.
Despite the pain, the reigning French Open champion attempted to play through the issue and even took a medical timeout while trailing 2-5 in the opening set.
But her condition did not improve.
Trailing 2-6, 0-2 into the second set, Gauff decided she could no longer continue and decided to retire from the match.
It was only the second retirement in Gauff's WTA career, with the first one coming against Marie Bouzková in the opening round of the 2022 Cincinnati Open.
“Never felt anything like this before. Going to get an MRI tomorrow to see what's up but I'll be okay,” Gauff said.
Despite the unfortunate ending, Gauff took time to wish Eala well as the Filipina continues her breakthrough run in Indian Wells.
“Good luck to Alex the rest of the way, always a pleasure sharing the court with you,” she added.
[RELATED: Emotional Alex Eala honors mother Rizza on Women's Day after Indian Wells win]
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.