06 February,2021 10:58 AM IST | Melbourne | AFP
Serena Williams
Serena Williams pulled out of a semi-final clash against World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty with a shoulder injury on Friday, days before the Australian Open, while Simona Halep and Sofia Kenin both crashed to defeat.
Williams, 39, had ousted fellow American Danielle Collins 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 in the Yarra Valley Classic but withdrew from the tournament hours later despite showing no ill effects during the match. Barty now has a bye into the final where she will meet either two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza or Marketa Vondrousova.
World No. 3 Naomi Osaka recovered from a shaky start to power past Irina-Camelia Begu 7-5, 6-1 in 76 minutes in the Gippsland Trophy, and will face fifth-ranked Elina Svitolina or Elise Mertens in the last four. World No. 2 Halep, however, slumped out after being thrashed by Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-1 in the Gippsland Trophy, where she appeared hampered by a lower back injury. Meanwhile, Muguruza has been in aggressive form and impressively hit the lines to run Australian Open champion Kenin ragged 6-2, 6-2.
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