Top seed Milos Raonic has been forced to withdraw from the final of the Delray Beach Open due to a hamstring injury.
The Canadian world No.4 was set to play Jack Sock in the final after defeating Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets on Saturday. This week Raonic was participating in his first tournament since the Australian Open after being troubled by an abductor injury, side-lining him from Canada’s Davis Cup clash against Great Britain.
Today’s #DBO2017 3:00pm singles final between #JackSock and #MilosRaonic is a walkover. #MilosRaonic has withdrawn with an injury.
— Delray Beach Open (@DelrayBeachOpen) 26 February 2017
Earlier this week, Raonic spoke confidently about the current state of his form after his two-week rest from the tour. In his semifinal match against del Potro, the 26-year-old appeared comfortable behind his serve as he produced a total of 17 aces.
“Everything’s feeling good. The doctors and the physios are very happy with the progress I’m making and now it’s really about just easing my way into it,” he recently said.
It is unclear how significant the injury is and if it will impact on Raonic’s schedule. He is expected to play in next week’s Mexico Open, which features six top-10 players.
As a consequence of Raonic’s withdrawal, Sock has won his second ATP title of the year after the ASB Classic in Auckland. The American will also rise to a ranking high of 18th in the world to become the only player from his country ranked in the world’s top 20 on the Emirates rankings.
The new champion will officially be crowned at 15:00 local times (GMT-5) and will participate in an exhibition match after against Jesse Levine shortly after.
