 Williams was hoping to win the tournament for the third time |
Top seed Serena Williams was forced to pull out of her semi-final with Elena Dementieva at the Paris Open because of a knee injury. Williams said she felt uncomfortable in the warm-up and that she was extremely disappointed at having to pull out of a tournament she has won twice. "I love playing in Paris and I hope I will come back," she added. Olympic champion Dementieva will now play Amelie Mauresmo, who beat second seed Jelena Jankovic 6-2 0-6 6-1. It was a superb win for the former world number one, and twice Paris winner, who is currently ranked 24th and will play in her first final for 18 months on Sunday.  | 606: DEBATE |
"I had great tactics and was aggressive" said Mauresmo. "I played two sets well but I also had a sudden feeling of exhaustion." Williams is due to play in Dubai next week and remains hopeful she will be fit. "My knees have been really good, and I'm really optimistic," said the American. "I think they'll continue to be really good. "I just have been playing a lot of tennis, so maybe it's just a sign that I'll need to take a day or two off and get ready for the next event." Elsewhere, number one seed Vera Zvonereva will face unseeded Sania Mirza in the final of the Pattaya Open in Thailand. The Russian beat Israel's Shahar Peer in 6-1 6-4 in their semi-final, while Mirza beat Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-4 5-7 6-1.
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