Maria Kirilenko speaks during a press conference on Wednesday. (Yonhap News)
Second-seeded Maria Kirilenko withdrew from the KDB Korea Open tennis tournament here on Wednesday with a back injury.
The 25-year-old Russian retired from her first-round singles match against South Korean Lee So-ra at the only Women’s Tennis Association tournament held here each fall. The two were tied at 1-1 in the opening set when Kirilenko pulled out with pains in her upper back.
Kirilenko, ranked No. 14 in the world, entered the Korea Open as the second-highest ranked player, behind the 11th-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. (Yonhap News)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
