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ROME : World number six Serena Williams pulled out of the WTA Rome International on Friday after hurting her back while training, but thinks she will recover in time for the French Open less than two weeks away.
"It just happened all of a sudden in practice. I just went for a shot and then my back got a little stuck, that's basically how it happened," fifth-seeded Williams, 26, told a news conference.
"I don't expect this to cause any problems in my preparations for the French," which begins on May 25 in Paris, she said.
"I'm in good form, so I'll be going in there (Roland Garros) with a couple of good wins under my belt."
Williams was to have met French sensation Alize Cornet in the quarter-finals on Friday after winning through to the last eight in two straight-sets matches.
Serena's older sister Venus, seeded seventh, was playing fourth-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic later Friday.
Serena's withdrawal removed the possibility of an all-Williams final as the two sisters were on opposite sides of the draw.
Cornet, 18, now meets Russian sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze who defeated Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
The error-strewn match was Chakvetadze's third three-setter of the tournament.
The Russian took the first set easily as Pironkova, 20, struggled to find the power and depth with which she upset top seed Ana Ivanovic in the second round on Wednesday.
In the second, Chakvetadze fell into a slump and began netting her first serves while Pironkova rebounded despite problems with her right shoulder.
The Bulgarian broke the Russian's service twice to take a 4-0 lead before Chakvetadze, who also had shoulder problems, got on the scoreboard by breaking back and winning her next service game.
The tensest game of the match came with Pironkova serving for the second set at 5-3, when Chakvetadze netted the ball after a long rally on the fourth set point.
The third set went all the other way, Pironkova managing only to hold her first service game as Chakvetadze recovered her depth and improved her serve.
Pironkova, who has yet to get beyond the second round in a major, will earn a boost in the rankings from 64 to 54 thanks to her run in Rome and the best win of her career so far from ousting world number three Ivanovic.
Cornet, ranked 34th in the world and a qualifier here, romped into the quarter-finals on Thursday by upsetting world number five Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, 6-2, 6-4.
When she learned that Serena Williams had pulled out of the tournament, Cornet said she was happy to be in the semi-finals.
"But it's not the same satisfaction as when you win a real match," she said.
- AFP /ls
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