Hajj season kicks off with the first group of pilgrims arriving from India    Crown Prince discusses Ukrainian crisis with Zelenskyy over phone    First batch of Pakistani pilgrims leaves for Hajj under Makkah Route initiative    Minister Al-Khateeb welcomes Hyatt Hotels' plan to increase hotel capacity to 5,000 rooms in 5 years    Biden says he will stop sending bombs to Israel if it launches major invasion of Rafah    US House votes to block Greene's effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson    North Macedonia elects first woman president as center-left crumbles    Croatia's ruling conservatives embrace far-right party in new government    SAUDIA and SAMACO Marine & Powersports partner to provide memorable holiday experiences of the Red Sea    Education minister: 3-semester system is under study    JAX District earns industrial heritage site designation in Saudi Arabia    'The Lab': Fashion Commission launches a pioneering fashion studio in Riyadh    Turki Alalshikh unveils exclusive watch to commemorate 'Ring of Fire' heavyweight title fight    AlUla Academy set to be a hub for tourism vocational training in Saudi Arabia and the region    Al Qadsiah returns to Saudi Pro League    Al Hilal on verge of Saudi League title with thrilling win over Al Ahli    Chinese climbers stuck on cliff for more than an hour due to overcrowding    teamLab Borderless Museum set to open in Jeddah this summer    Saudi Pro League's Allazeez dismisses charges of favoritism in player recruitment    Lord of the Rings cast pay tribute to Bernard Hill, who has died aged 79    JK Rowling in 'arrest me' challenge over hate crime law    Trump's Bible endorsement raises concern in Christian religious circles    Hollywood icon Will Smith shares his profound admiration for Holy Qur'an    We have celebrated Founding Day for three years - but it has been with us for 300    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Serena retires from Hopman match
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 06 - 01 - 2016

The Australian Open preparations of Serena Williams suffered a potentially significant blow when she was forced to retire with a knee injury during the United States' 3-0 Hopman Cup loss to Australia Gold Tuesday evening.
The world No. 1 retired due to soreness in her left knee during her singles match against Jarmila Wolfe (nee Gajdosova) when trailing 7-5, 2-1.
Veteran Lleyton Hewitt then secured the tie for Australia Gold with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Jack Sock, and it became a clean sweep for the home side when the mixed doubles was a walkover due to Serena's absence.
The result meant the US bowed out of contention in the tournament. But of more concern to its camp was the fitness of the defending Australian Open champion.
However, the 21-time Grand Slam singles champion was confident it was only a minor problem and even refused to rule herself out of Thursday's Hopman Cup tie against the Czech Republic.
Earlier in the day, Alexandr Dolgopolov put Ukraine within reach of its second Hopman Cup final.
In Ukraine's first appearance at the event since being runner-up in 1995, world No. 36 Dolgopolov gave his country two wins from as many ties with his victory over the Czech Republic's Jiri Vesely.
After the 19th-ranked Elina Svitolina upset world No. 11 Karolina Pliskova in straight sets in the women's singles, Dolgopolov clinched the tie when he beat Vesely in similar fashion 7-5, 7-6 (7/3).
In the dead mixed doubles rubber, the Czechs kept their final hopes alive with a 6-3, 6-1 win.
Having already beaten the USA Monday, the result puts Ukraine in pole position to reach Saturday's final.
As the only unbeaten team in their group, Dolgopolov and Svitolina simply need to beat Australia Gold in their last round-robin match Thursday to reach the final.
Injured Sharapova, Halep out
In Brisbane, Australian Open contenders Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep withdrew from the Brisbane International Tuesday after suffering injuries less than two weeks before the first Grand Slam of the year.
Romanian top seed Halep was felled by inflammation in her left Achilles, an injury that hampered her 2015 campaign, but was hopeful of being fit in time for next week's event in Sydney.
Russian Sharapova, the defending champion, was nursing an arm injury which meant a premature exit and no matches at her only tournament before the Melbourne slam which begins on Jan 18.
The world No. 4 had been due to face compatriot Ekaterina Makarova in first round action later on Tuesday but was replaced by another Russian, lucky loser Margarita Gasparyan.
That match, on Pat Rafter Arena, was one of several to be delayed Tuesday by rain, causing further headaches for tournament organizers shorn of two of their biggest draw cards.
US Open finalist Roberta Vinci became the first woman through to the last eight after the Italian demolished Dominika Cibulkova 6-1, 6-1.
In the men's draw, seeds David Goffin and Domini Thiem won Tuesday to make the second round.
Venus, Ivanovic fall
In Wellington, the top two seeds Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic were shock first round losers in the WTA Auckland Classic Tuesday.
Venus, 35, the tournament top seed and defending champion, was beaten 7-6, 3-6, 3-6 by 18-year-old Russian Daria Kasatkina, while Ivanovic went down in straight sets to British qualifier Naomi Broady 7-5, 6-4.
Tournament third-seed Wozniacki moved into the second round with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Montenegro's Kovinic.
Francesca Schiavone fell against Austria's Tamira Paszek 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.
Kvitova withdraws
In China, Petra Kvitova's new year began with a withdrawal from the Shenzhen Open due to illness Tuesday after losing the first set against China's Zheng Saisai.
Saisai was leading 6-2 in the first round match when the second-seeded Kvitova withdrew.
Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska made short work of Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic, winning 6-4, 6-3. She will meet Zhang Shuai in the second round after the wildcard entrant defeated Irina Khromacheva 6-3, 6-3.
British No. 1 Johanna Konta also made an early exit, losing 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Qiang, while Eugenie Bouchard of Canada survived a scare before beating Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.


Clic here to read the story from its source.