Maria Sharapova was eliminated from the Pan Pacific Open on Thursday when she was forced to retire in the first set of her semifinal match against Petra Kvitova.
With her Czech opponent leading 4-3 in the first set, Sharapova twisted her left ankle when serving in the eighth game. She limped to her chair and pulled out after seeing her trainer.
Thursday’s semifinal was a rematch of this year’s Wimbledon final where Kvitova beat Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 for her first major title.
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Kvitova will now face fourth-ranked Vera Zvonareva of Russia, who defeated compatriot Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-3, in Friday’s semifinals.
“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.”
“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.”
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Elsewhere, third-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat seventh-seeded Marion Bartoli 7-5, 6-0 to reach the last four.