SEA ISLAND, Ga. -- A thigh injury forced Anna Kournikova to withdraw from the Cloister Cup before her semifinal match.
Kournikova quit the tournament Saturday after a practice earlier in the day. The withdrawal advanced fellow Russian Maria Sharapova to the final, where she beat Australian Christina Wheeler 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday.
Kournikova was first injured April 9 at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C.
She struggled through her quarterfinal match against Sunitha Rao on Friday, which she won 6-3, 6-3. Kournikova's tightly wrapped thigh gave her problems throughout the match, and she was limping by the end.
The Cloister Cup was Kournikova's first event since she was first injured.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2003, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
