Top seed Nadia Petrova stunned the Auckland crowd when she pulled out in the third set of her ASB Classic tennis semifinal with an injury, handing Marion Bartoli a place in tomorrow's final.
With the matched poised at a set apiece and 2-1 in the decider, Petrova called it quits after taking an injury break two games earlier.
She had emerged with her left thigh heavily strapped but found she couldn't continue and handed multiple Auckland semifinalist Bartoli a spot in her first WTA final.
The final score was Bartoli 3-6 6-4 2-1.
The sixth seeded Frenchwoman will play Russian Vera Zvonareva who dispatched Slovakian crowd favourite Daniela Hantuchova in the day's earlier semifinal.
- NZPA
Tennis: Top seed Petrova out with injury
Nadia Petrova pulled out of her semifinal match against Marion Bartoli after sustaining a groin injury. Ross Land / Getty Images
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