China Open: Foot injury forces Azarenka to concede pre-quarterfinal
October 6th, 2011 - 4:57 pm ICT by IANS
Beijing, Oct 6 (IANS) World number four Victoria Azarenka of Belarus Thursday pulled out of the China Open tennis due to a foot injury after reaching the pre-quarterfinals.
Azarenka said: “It is disappointing to have to withdraw from China Open. I am sorry to the fans. I was hoping that my foot would be okay, but it has been bothering me since Tokyo. I am not sure about the recovery time yet, but I will continue to consult with my doctor. I expect to be back for Luxembourg.”
Her opponent Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia will get a walkover to the quarterfinals.
The China Open, which is running in its eighth year, has lost Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters to injury or illness prior to the event.
Second seed Gael Monfils of France and Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko also announced decision to withdraw after the elite tournament kicked off Saturday.
It was then followed by early upsets from reigning Grand Slam winners Li Na of China (French Open), Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic (Wimbledon) and Australia’s Samantha Stosur (U.S. Open).
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- Wimbledon: Murray to face Davydenko in first round - Jun 22, 2012
- Sharapova and Serena pull out of China Open - Sep 30, 2011
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- U.S. Open: Robson ousts Li Na - Sep 01, 2012
- Djokovic, Sharapova coast into Australian Open fourth round (Roundup) - Jan 22, 2012
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Tags: beijing, belarus, china open tennis, czech republic, elite, foot injury, french open, grand slam winners, maria sharapova, monfils, nikolay davydenko, novak djokovic, opponent, quarterfinals, recovery time, samantha stosur, victoria azarenka, walkover, williams sisters, wimbledon