Leg injury: Sharapova withdraws from US Open to leave Serena’s path clear

Third seed may have faced the defending champion in the semi-final.


Afp August 31, 2015
Sharapova had not played a match since losing to Serena in a Wimbledon semi-final last month because of the injury. PHOTO: REUTERS

NEW YORK: Russian third seed Maria Sharapova withdrew from the US Open on Sunday with a right leg injury, easing the path to a calendar-year Grand Slam for top-ranked Serena Williams.

US Open tournament director David Brewer announced Sharapova’s exit, which allowed qualifying lucky loser Daria Kasatkina of Russia into the draw in Sharapova’s place.



“Unfortunately I will not be able to compete in this year’s US Open,” said Sharapova in a Twitter posting. “I have done everything possible to be ready but it was just not enough time. To all my amazing fans, I will be back in the Asian swing in a few weeks and look forward to finishing the year healthy and strong.”

Sharapova had been the highest-seeded rival in Serena’s half of the US Open draw, a status that now belongs to seventh-seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic, a possible semi-final foe for the 33-year-old American.

Serena is trying to complete the first Grand Slam calendar-year title sweep since Steffi Graf in 1988 and match Graf’s Open Era-record of 22 Slam singles crowns.

Sharapova had not played a match since losing to Serena in a Wimbledon semi-final last month because of the injury, which she said had been a day-to-day thing since it happened.

Serena is 18-2 all-time against Sharapova and has won their past 17 meetings in a row.

Prior to pulling out of the tournament for the second time in three years, Sharapova described the injury as “just a muscle strain”.

The 28-year-old Russian had been tweaking her tournament schedule in the past few weeks in order to give herself a chance to come back on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts, knowing that pulling out of tune-up events in Cincinnati and Toronto would hurt her chances in New York. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st,  2015.

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