Quick switch to clay leaves French Open contenders struggling to adapt

Tennis - WTA Premier 5 - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - September 21, 2020 Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova receives medical attention during the final against Romania's Simona Halep Clive Brunskill/Pool via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Karolina Pliskova's early exit from the U.S. Open gave her more time than her rivals to prepare for the fast-tracked claycourt swing but instead of fine-tuning her game, the Czech finds herself in a race to be fighting fit for the French Open.

The former world number one, who is still chasing a maiden Grand Slam title, was dumped out of the second round at Flushing Meadows before turning her attention to Rome - where she lifted the Italian Open title last year.