World No. 1 Serena Williams, citing a lower back injury, withdrew Wednesday from the WTA’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Williams, as the No. 2 seed, had a first-round bye but pulled out of the tournament before play began Wednesday. That gave Marion Bartoli a walkover into the quarterfinals.
Victoria Azarenka, whom Williams replaced last Monday as the No. 1-ranked player, said a foot injury forced her to leave the Dubai tournament.
Read also:
http://en.africatopsports.com/2013/02/25/tennis-top-20-return-for-venus/