September 29th, 2011
TOKYO — Maria Sharapova twisted her ankle while serving Thursday and quit her Pan Pacific Open quarterfinal against Petra Kvitova in a rematch of this summer’s Wimbledon final.
Kvitova was ahead 4-3 in the first set when Sharapova was injured. Sharapova limped to her chair and pulled out after speaking with her trainer. She went to a hospital for an MRI.
“I hit a serve and then landed awkwardly on my left ankle,” said Sharapova, seeded second. “I felt a sharp pain and next thing I knew I was on the floor. It swelled up immediately and I knew there was no way I could continue.”
Added Kvitova: “It’s sad because we were both playing so well. It was a great match but I could see (the ankle) was really big. Hopefully, she will be OK.”
At the Wimbledon title match in July, Kvitova beat Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 for her first major championship.
Kvitova, the fifth-seeded Czech, will next face fourth-seeded Vera Zvonareva, who defeated Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-3 in an all-Russian match.
“I played her already three times, the last time in Madrid on clay when I beat her,” Kvitova said. “She’s a very good player. She has a great serve and hits the ball well so it will be a tough match.”
Zvonareva had five aces and improved to 6-0 against Kirilenko.
“I’m really happy that my serve helped me today,” Zvonareva said. “The first serve was good and my second serve even caused her some problems, and that made a big difference.”
Kirilenko knocked out U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur on Tuesday and beat 12th-seeded Ana Ivanovic on Wednesday. But she struggled with her serve against Zvonareva and was broken three times.
“Maria is a great player and a great fighter, and proved it by beating two tough opponents on her way to the quarterfinals,” Zvonareva said. “There is no secret to beating her. I just tried to make some shots that caused her some discomfort and was able to do that.”
Third-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated seventh-seeded Marion Bartoli of France 7-5, 6-0 to reach the final four. She will next face Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who downed Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-2, 7-6 (7).
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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