Foot injury forces Sharapova to withdraw

MOSCOW—U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova, her right foot hurting so badly she couldn't walk, withdrew from the Kremlin Cup on Friday before her quarterfinal against Anna Chakvetadze.
Sharapova, seeded second, led a record 15 Russians in the main draw. She beat Ekaterina Bychkova in straight sets Wednesday.
"I couldn't practice and even walk yesterday (Thursday)," she said. "I have to pull out. I'm really disappointed, but I have no choice."
Chakvetadze, who won her first title two weeks ago in Guangzhou, China, will play the winner of the match between Elena Dementieva and Patty Schnyder.
Among the men, top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko defeated Max Mirnyi 6-3, 7-5 and will play seventh-seeded Fabrice Santoro in the semifinals. Santoro scored a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.
Davydenko, ranked No. 5, saved three break points in the 11th game of the second set.
"Mirnyi is a very inconvenient opponent for me. He plays serve-and-volley but is not that strong from the baseline," Davydenko said. "Santoro plays classical tennis and is a very convenient opponent for me. I hope I will win tomorrow (Saturday)."
In other women's matches, fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova advanced to her second straight semifinal with a 7-5, 6-1 win over fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva.
Petrova won the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany last weekend — her fifth title this season — and has not dropped a set in four matches in Moscow. In the semifinals, Petrova faces top-ranked Amelie Mauresmo or eighth-seeded Nicole Vaidisova.—Agencies