The strained psoas muscle Venus Williams suffered in her second-round match of the Australian Open 2011 didn’t prevent her from beating Sandra Zahlavova, but one game into her third-round match against Andrea Petkovic, the tournament’s fourth-ranked player bowed out, handing No. 30 Petkovic a 1-0 victory. According to commentators in the booth, it’s the first time Williams has ever retired from a Grand Slam event.
Williams was injured while stretching for a shot during Wednesday’s match; although it wasn’t apparent right away what had gone wrong, her immediate bellow and hobble seemed to indicate a serious injury. After receiving medical attention from trainers, she returned to finish out the match and claim her victory to advance to the third round, but does not appear to have recovered sufficiently in the meantime to withstand the grueling conditions of major-tournament play.
In Williams’ place, Petkovic will play No. 14 Maria Sharapova in Round 4.
Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more Day 5 results and highlights from the 2011 Australian Open.
Venus Williams Retires Due To Injury In Australian Open 2011’s Third Round
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