adminVenus Williams has withdrawn from this month’s Australian Open after sustaining an injury at a warm-up tournament.
The 42-year-old had been awarded a wildcard for the Grand Slam, which begins on 16 January in Melbourne.
Williams was injured during the ASB Classic in Auckland.
There are doubts over world number one Iga Swiatek’s fitness after she withdrew from the Adelaide International 2 WTA 500 next week.
Poland’s Swiatek, 21, has a problem with her right shoulder.
Three-time major winner Swiatek was in tears following a straight-set defeat by the United States’ Jessica Pegula in the United Cup mixed teams tournament in Sydney on Friday.
The US will face Italy in Sunday’s final after Lucia Bronzetti’s 6-2 6-3 win over Greece’s Valentini Grammatikopoulou.
Australian world number 173 Kimberly Birrell has taken the wildcard place of seven-time singles Grand Slam champion Williams at the Australian Open.
It remains to be seen whether British number one Emma Raducanu will compete at the Australian Open after she rolled her ankle at the ASB Classic on Thursday. Tunisian world number two Ons Jabeur suffered a shock 6-3 1-6 6-3 defeat by Czech 18-year-old world number 102 Linda Noskova in the Adelaide International semi-finals.
Noskova, who beat two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals, will face Belarus’ world number five Aryna Sabalenka – a 6-3 6-2 winner against Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu – in Sunday’s final.
Coco Gauff reached the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland by beating Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic 6-0 6-2.
American Gauff will face Spain’s Rebeka Masarova, who beat Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure 6-3 6-3. – BBC Sport.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter