Kvitova forced out of St. Petersburg Open

Former champion Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy because of illness.

The 29-year-old Czech had been due to play Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals but Kvitova said the unspecified illness had bothered her during Thursday’s three-set win over Alison van Uytvanck.

“I wasn’t feeling well during my match yesterday and hoped I would feel better today, but unfortunately, that’s not the case,” the third-seeded Kvitova said.

With the walkover win, Alexandrova, the WTA Shenzhen Open champion, will now play either second-seeded Kiki Bertens or qualifier Anastasia Potapova in the semifinals.

Also on Friday, Elena Rybakina beat Oceane Dodin 6-7 (7-5) 7-5 6-2. Rybakina will next face either Belinda Bencic or Maria Sakkari.

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!