Defending champ Petrova limps out of Stuttgart

STUTTGART—Defending champion Nadia Petrova limped out of Stuttgart's WTA tournament on Friday when an old hip injury flared up and forced her to retire from Friday's quarter-final.
Petrova conceded defeat to third seed Jelena Jankovic despite winning the first set in what had been a fierce battle before injury struck.
After a battle royal in which neither player refused to yield, Petrova held her nerve to win the first set tie-break 7-5, but struggled badly there after.
Jankovic raced out to a 5-1 second set lead before the Russian waved the white flag and the Serb will now face the winner of Friday evening's quarter-final between world number one Justine Henin and Elena Dementieva.
Earlier in the day, last year's beaten finalist Tatiana Golovin was pleased to be back in the last four after her straight sets win over qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko.
The Russian-born 19-year-old, who beat fourth seed Anna Chakvetadze in the second round on Wednesday, needed less than 80 minutes to see off Bondarenko, 46th in the world, who upset fifth-seed Ana Ivanovic on Thursday.
Golovin, 19th in the world, controlled the first set 6-3 and squandered a match point on her opponent's serve before she served out for the match to take the second set 6-4.
"I had to wait for her to make a mistake, she was a tough opponent," she said.
"Once you make the last eight, all you want to do is make the last four and beyond, so I am pleased with where I am at.
"I made a few mistakes out there and have things to work on for tomorrow, but I'll need to take my game up a level."
The French pin-up, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2004 aged just 16, will now face the winner of Friday night's quarter-final between Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova.—Agencies