Sharapova twisted her left ankle while serving and was forced to retire in the first set of her quarterfinal match against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic on Thursday at the 2.05 million dollars Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
Sharapova, the world No. 2 and a two-time former Toray champion, was serving at 3-4, 40-15 when her left foot rolled heavily as she landed. She immediately crumbled to the court in pain, and was sitting as Kvitova's return came directly back at her.
"I hit a serve and then landed awkwardly on my left ankle," Sharapova said in a statement released by the WTA before heading to a local hospital. "I felt a sharp pain and the next thing I knew I was on the floor. It swelled up immediately and I knew there was no way I could continue."
Limping to her courtside seat, Sharapova was checked out by a tour trainer for a few minutes before calling it quits. She and the fifth-seeded Kvitova exchanged a quick hug as the announcement was made to the disappointment of the crowd of 7,000 at Ariake Colosseum.
"I am incredibly disappointed and in a lot of pain," Sharapova said. "I obviously really wanted to win and felt that I was playing well....I'm sorry for the tournament and my Japanese fans that the match had to end this way."
The highly anticipated match was a rematch of this year's Wimbledon final, in which the sixth-ranked Kvitova stunned Sharapova in straight sets to become the first player born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam title.
"It's sad, we played really nice tennis," said Kvitova, who has won four titles this season. "Hopefully it's nothing bad and she will be back early."
Sharapova, who underwent shoulder surgery that cut short her 2008 season, said the injury might affect whether she can finish out the year.
"I don't know how bad it is, we'll have to wait and see. I hope I can finish the season."
With her abbreviated victory, Kvitova advanced to a semifinal clash with another Russian, fourth-seeded Vera Zvonareva, who advanced with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Russian compatriot Maria Kirilenko.
Kvitova and Zvonareva have split four previous meetings, including two this year.
Zvonavera, who made the Toray semifinals for the first time in four shots, said earlier she wasn't concerned about who she will be facing. She just knows it won't be easy.
"I don't really think about my seeding," Zvonareva said. "I know that every single opponent is very tough. I'm not paying much attention to the rankings. I never look at the draw.
"I always believe in myself, I always believe if I can play my best tennis, I can beat anyone and that's what matters to me. I don't really care about any other statistics."
The 27-year-old Zvonareva, a finalist at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2010, is looking to add to her 12 career titles, including two this season. She beat world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the final in Doha and also triumphed in Baku.
On the other side of the drawsheet, No. 3 seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus overpowered France's Marion Bartoli 7-5, 6-0.
Azarenka, aiming for her third title of the year and eighth of her career, had three match points in a marathon sixth game of the second set before winning when the seventh-seeded Bartoli sent a backhand wide.
In the semifinals, Azarenka will face the winner of the late match between ninth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and Estonia's unseeded Kaia Kanepi, who ousted world No. 1 Wozniacki 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, Kanepi was assured of one big supporter--literally. Attending the match was fellow Estonian and sumo ozeki Baruto, a sporting acquaintance of hers.
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
