Halep withdraws from St. Petersburg trophy
Halep's withdrawal saw Russia's 19-year-old Natalia Vikhlyantseva advance to the semi-finals
St Petersburg (AFP) - Top seed Simona Halep pulled out of the St Petersburg Trophy because of a persistent knee injury, propelling a Russian wildcard into the semi-finals.
"I m really disappointed that I had to withdraw from the quarter-final today, but my knee is not okay," the Romanian Halep, ranked fourth in the world, said.
"After my last match I felt pain and I feel it s risky to continue here." Halep, who enjoyed an opening-round bye, beat Croatia s Ana Konjuh in the second round.
The 25-year-old crashed out of last month s Australian Open in the first round and again cited a sore knee. Halep s withdrawal saw Russia s 19-year-old wildcard Natalia Vikhlyantseva advance to the semi-finals, where she will meet either defending champion Roberta Vinci of Italy or France s Kristina Mladenovic.
