Maria Sharapova withdraws from U.S. Open

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Maria Sharapova on Sunday withdrew from the U.S. Open, the day before the tennis tournament was to begin.

Seeded third at Flushing Meadows, Sharapova was schedule to play her first match on Monday.

A former Open champion, Sharapova was among challengers to Serena Williams. Most observers believe only a disaster stands in the way of Williams becoming the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to complete a calendar grand slam.

Sharapova had been trying to rehab a right leg injury. She last played at Wimbledon, and reports said she had been limited in training this week.

"I'm back on the court a little bit, I'm not moving as much as I'd like to yet," Sharapova told the WTA website this week. "It's still a day-to-day thing. I'm spending a lot of time in the gym and on the massage table and all that."

Sharapova lost to Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals and would have met her again in the Open final, had she made it that far. The injury forced Sharapova to miss prep tournaments, including the Rogers Cup in Canada.

Sharapova won the Open in 2006 and owns five major titles. She also withdrew from the 2013 Open.

With Sharapova out, fellow Russian Daria Kasatkina will face Daria Gavrilova, who also is from Russia. Kasatkina advanced as a "lucky loser" standby.

 

 

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