Sharapova pulls out of next week's Toronto event

LOS ANGELES, Aug 11 (Reuters) World number two Maria Sharapova has pulled out of next week's tournament in Toronto, citing fatigue.

''Unfortunately at this stage of the summer and after many matches over the course of the past two weeks, my body is in need of rest,'' she said on her Web site (www.mariasharapova.com) today.

The Russian won last week's San Diego Classic and will play fellow countrywoman Nadia Petrova in the semi-finals of the Los Angeles Classic later today.

Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Sania Mirza and Nicole Vaidisova have also pulled out of the Toronto event.

But the tournament still features four of the world's leading five players, including top-ranked Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic.

REUTERS KK SBA RAI0221