Elena Dementieva was the prime beneficiary of an injury-ridden day at the Sony Ericsson Championships on Friday, when both Serena Williams and Ana Ivanovic failed to take the court. For Ivanovic, who had been ill during her first two round-robins matches, the default was inconsequential because she had already failed to qualify for the knock-out semifinals on Saturday. But Williams would have joined her sister, Venus, in the last four had she beaten Dementieva.
The reason for her withdrawal was given as a pulled stomach muscle, an injury Williams said she had suffered from once before, also in these year-end finals when they were played in Los Angeles four years ago. Read more at International Herald Tribune.
