Injury forced Sania to pull out of Qatar Open

Doha, Feb 28 (UNI) Sania Mirza today pulled out of the Qatar Open tennis tournament due to a knee injury.

Sania announced her decision an hour before her second-round match against Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko to the disappointment of Indian fans and organisers here.

The 20-year-old Indian suffered the injury in her first round match against Italian Romina Oprandi on Monday, which she won 6-4, 6-3.

''I have pain in my right knee and I didn't want to risk it further. I am flying back home where I will have an MRI tomorrow,'' Sania told reporters after her decision to withdraw from the 1.34 dollar tier-II tournament.

The organisers had scheduled her match on centre court, considering her crowd pulling capacity.

''It's very hard to pull out midway in a tournament because there are so many fans who want to see you play.

''Unfortunately injuries are a part and parcel of an athlete's life,'' Sania added.

''I hope the injury is not serious and will heal quickly. My next tournament depends on that.'' Sania is next scheduled to play in the tier-I Pacific Open tournament in Indian Wells (USA) from March 5 to 18.

She said she would wait for all her medical tests before deciding whether or not to play in Indian Wells.

UNI