Swedish top seed collapses twice at Challenger event, earns praise for opponent’s kindness

Swedish second seed Elias Ymer collapsed twice during a tense first-round match at the Zhangjiagang men’s Challenger in Suzhou, China. His opponent, Taiwan’s Hsu Yu-hsiou, immediately went to help, bringing an ice towel to cool him down and earning praise for his sportsmanship.

Ymer lost the opening set 7-6 (7-4), then fought back to lead 5-3 in the second. During a hard-fought service game, he suddenly fell to the court. The chair umpire checked on him, while Hsu helped from the other side of the net.

Ymer managed to stand, but soon collapsed again. Tournament staff and medical personnel rushed over, while ball kids held up towels to give the player privacy. After a medical timeout, Ymer tried to continue. Hsu broke his serve and held to level the set at 5-5, but Ymer eventually retired because he could not continue comfortably.

He walked unsteadily to the net and shook Hsu’s hand. Tournament organizers said the local weather was hot, humid and oppressive, and that Ymer briefly lost consciousness because of fatigue and nausea.

Hsu and Ymer could meet again when Taiwan’s men’s team faces Sweden in the Davis Cup World Group I on September 19 and 20. Taiwan is scheduled to play Sweden for the first time, with the matches set for the Taipei Tennis Center.