Serena Williams withdraws with back injury

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Serena Williams withdraws with back injury

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The decision ends Williams' winning streak at 17 matches.

19 May,2012 03:27 pm

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Italian Open with a lower back injury moments before she was scheduled to meet Roland Garros champion Li Na in the semifinals.The withdrawal comes eight days before the French Open, but Williams said the move was mainly precautionary and that shell be ready for the clay-court major.The decision ends Williams winning streak at 17 matches. She had won consecutive titles in Charleston, South Carolina, and Madrid, plus two matches in Fed Cup.In the Rome final, Li will face either defending champion Maria Sharapova or 11th-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany, who were playing later.