Knee injury ends Serena’s hopes

STANFORD (U.S.): Serena Williams’s march towards her fourth WTA title of the year came to a premature halt on Saturday, as an injured knee and Canadian qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak proved too much for the top seed. Serena retired with a left knee injury while trailing Wozniak 2-6, 1-3 at the $600,000 hard court event here. The Canadian will battle for the crown against the sixth-seeded Marion Bartoli of France, who defeated Japan’s Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 6-3. Wozniak, ranked 85th in the world, showed no sign that she was intimidated by the 26-year-old American. Bartoli in final Wozniak will be attempting to capture her first singles title on Sunday when she takes on Bartoli. The French player took a huge step toward getting her season revved up when she upset second seed and defending champion Anna Chakvetadze of Russia in the... [read full story]