Sharapova retires after twisting ankle, Kirilenko stopped in Tokyo

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Maria Sharapova injured her ankle while serving at 3-4 against Petra Kvitova in Tokyo quarterfinals and was unable to continue the match because her ankle showed immediate signs of swelling. In other Tokyo news, Maria Kirilenko, who knocked out newly-crowned US Open champion Samantha Stosur in the second round and then 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, was eliminated by fourth-seeded Vera Zvonareva in the quarters.

Sharapova had a chance to possibly overtake the No.1 ranking from Caroline Wozniacki if:

1) she reached the final in Tokyo and

2) followed it with a Beijing title.

Those chances are now ruined that the Russian is injured:

I hit a serve and then landed awkwardly on my left ankle. I felt a sharp pain and next thing I knew I was on the floor. It swelled up immediately and I knew there was no way I could continue.

Kirilenko had significant victories in the early rounds of Tokyo, but Zvonareva continued the trend of beating her fellow Russian, dismissed Kirilenko 6-3 6-3 and extended the lead in their career meetings to 6-0.

Zvonareva and Kvitova are one semifinal pair, and the other one is Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska. (photos: © Neal Trousdale, source: ESPN)

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Marija Zivlak
Marija Zivlak is the founder and editor-in-chief of Women’s Tennis Blog, a trusted source for in-depth coverage of the WTA Tour, tennis fashion, and player insights. Based in Belgrade, Serbia, she has been reporting on women’s tennis for over 18 years and has contributed exclusive fashion articles to the official WTA website. Marija launched Women’s Tennis Blog on March 31, 2007 to provide fans with accurate, engaging, and up-to-date tennis news. Her expertise and deep connections within the sport allow her to offer unique perspectives on tennis trends, gear, and events.

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