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Serena Williams pulls out of Italian Open
category: Tennis
16.05.2008 19:52
Serena Williams withdrew from her Italian Open quarter-final with French qualifier Alize Cornet on Friday because of a back injury, organizers said.
The injury gives 18-year-old Cornet, who on Thursday knocked out last year's finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, a walkover to the last four, where she will meet Anna Chakvetadze, a 6-2 3-6 6-1 winner over Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova.
Russian sixth seed Chakvetadze had an easy time in the first set against the 64th-ranked player, who stunned Serbian top seed Ana Ivanovic in the second round on Wednesday.
The Russian lost her concentration in the second set after Pironkova took time out to have treatment on an apparent shoulder problem.
She then stormed back in the decider, despite needing attention herself several times on the same area of the body.
Serbian title holder Jelena Jankovic will take on Serena's sister Venus Williams, seeded seven, later on Friday.
Australian Open championMaria Sharapova, who will become world number one next week after Belgian Justine Henin retired from tennis on Wednesday, will play Swiss ninth seed Patty Schnyder in the late match.
(Reporting by Paul Virgo, editing by Miles Evans)
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