Two of the top Russian tennis players in the world, Maria Sharapova and Dinara Safina, plus the current No. 1 ranked player in the world, Serena Williams of the United States, have all withdrawn from the 2010 WTA Sony Ericsson Open running in Miami, Florida, USA on March 23 – Apr. 4 because of injuries.
Sharapova, who won earlier this year in Memphis and was looking forward to playing in Miami for the first time since 2007, was forced to withdraw after an MRI revealed a bone bruise on her right elbow. She is expected to miss 3-6 weeks of competition.
Safina, a three-time Grand Slam finalist and former World No. 1, has withdrawn from the event due to a back injury. Safina had played in every Sony Ericsson Open since 2003 reaching the quarterfinals in 2008, her best finish in Miami.
In addition to the two Russians, reigning world number one Serena Williams will not compete at her home tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida this year due to a knee injury. She is continuing rehabilitation on her knee following her victory at the Australian Open.
In spite of these withdrawals, the women’s field is highlighted by some highly ranked and competitive players, including seven-time Grand Slam Champion Venus Williams, 2009 French Open Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, 2009 US Open Champion Kim Clijsters, 2008 French Open Champion Ana Ivanovic, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Elena Dementieva and 2010 Australian Open finalist Justine Henin.
The top seeds for the tournament are:
- Svetlana Kuznetsova
- Caroline Wozniacki
- Venus Williams
- Victoria Azarenka
- Elena Dementieva
- Agnieszka Radwanska
- Jelena Jankovic
- Na Li
With a field like that, there should be some great tennis matches to keep an eye on. Watch for some more big upsets.
