Maria Sharapova went out to the court to say sorry to her fans that she would not be playing today.
Photo: AP
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Sharapova Pulls Out of LA Semi-Final with Injury
Top seed Russian Maria Sharapova on Saturday withdrew from a semi-final against compatriot Nadia Petrova at the WTA tournament in Los Angeles with a leg injury. Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal to win a showdown with Roger Federer in the Montreal Masters.
Sharapova pulled out of East West Bank Classic with a lower left leg strain just 20 minutes before the scheduled start of her semi-final against Nadia Petrova. She said the pain around her shin caused her trouble in the warm-up. “When I started to warm up, it got worse and worse,” the Russian said. “I could not run for more than two or three balls. I had it all – all inflammatories, deep tissue massage, an ice bath. I even had acupuncture in my ear.” Sharapova has already announced she will not play in the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Monday. Her next start is the U.S. Open which begins on August 27.
Sharapova’s pull-out sent Nadia Petrova to the final with a walkover. The fourth seed Russian will face third seed Ana Ivanovic who defeated the tournament’s number two Jelena Jankovic in a Serbian derby 4-6 6-3 7-5 earlier Saturday. Ivanovic reeled off from match point down in the decider. The 19-year old Ivanovic saved two match points at 4-5 before breaking Jankovic to win in two and a half hours.
In Montreal, another Serbian, Novak Djokovic downed world number two Rafael Nadal 7-5 6-3 and will take on world number one Roger Federer on Sunday. The Serb broke Nadal in game 12 in the opening set and again in the eight game of the second. In the first semi-final, top seed Roger Federer defeated Radek Stepanek 7-6 (8-6) 6-2. The world number one will be chasing his 50th career title in the Montreal Masters final.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 13, 2007
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