Mihaela Buzarnescu lay crumpled on the ground and squealed in anguish after suffering a cruel injury that ended her Rogers Cup campaign in Canada on Thursday.
Defending champion Elina Svitolina, seeded fifth, led Buzarnescu 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 4-3 in their second round clash when the Romanian retired after hurting her ankle.
During a service game she ran across to her backhand wing then stumbled into the advertising boards on the side of the court as she let out a hellish scream.
The 30-year-old held her ankle with one hand and used the other to cover her face as she cried uncontrollably. Svitolina and the chair umpire came over to Buzarnescu but could do nothing to ease the pain as her cries continued to ring out around the stadium while she rolled around in agony.
Medical help arrived and the World No. 20's leg was heavily strapped before she was taken from the court in a wheelchair.
Early reports suggested she'd only suffered an ankle sprain but it was still a cruel twist for Buzarnescu, who was just starting to hit her stride after a career plagued by injury.
Robbed of so many opportunities because her body had let her down, the left-hander was making up for lost time. She defeated Svitolina at the French Open this year to record her first victory over a top-10 opponent at a grand slam, which put her into the second week of a major for the first time.
She also won last week in San Jose for her first tour title.
But Buzarnescu's fortunes quickly turned for the worse which is, sadly, something she's grown accustomed to.
The only glimmer of positivity to come out of the horrific fall was Svitolina showing classy sportsmanship by holding Buzarnescu's hand as she received treatment on the court.