Karolina Pliskova has announced that she recently underwent surgery on the ankle injury she picked up at the US Open. The 32-year-old retired from her second-round meeting with Jasmine Paolini after just three points following an awkward step on her left foot.

Paolini was serving in the opening game with the scores locked at 15-15 when Pliskova appeared to roll her ankle while trying to change directions. She ended up losing the point before limping off the court and receiving medical treatment.

After a while, Pliskova indicated that she could not continue and walked back to the locker room at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, she confirmed that she had gone under the knife to repair the damaged tendons in her left ankle.

Pliskova posted a photo of herself in a hospital bed with a protective boot on her left foot alongside the caption: “Happy to share that I successfully underwent surgery on the tendons in my left ankle.

“I’ll do everything I can to get back on the tennis courts as soon as possible, but health always comes first. A huge thank you to the medical team for their excellent care and to all of you for your support.”

Pliskova’s match against Paolini lasted just six minutes but, remarkably, it was not the shortest match in US Open history. Georges Goven’s win over Chico Hagey in 1972 was halted after just one point when the latter ran into a fence on the edge of the court and broke his leg.

Speaking after Pliskova’s early retirement, Paolini said that she felt sorry for her opponent and wished her all the best in her recovery process.

“It’s so sad,” she said. “I hope she recovers really soon because it’s bad to leave the court like this. I don’t know what to say because we didn’t play a match. It’s not good for tennis.”

Pliskova would have been hoping to win her first Grand Slam title at the US Open but will instead be forced to wait for another opportunity. She reached the final in 2016 but was beaten by Angelique Kerber before finishing as the Wimbledon runner-up five years later.