Chinese duo retire from doubles semis
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-04-04 16:53

Chinese tennis players Li Ting and Sun Tiantian, who unprecedentedly entered women's doubles semi-finals at the 6.5 million dollars Nasdaq-100 Open, were forced to retire on Saturday due to Li's injury.

The Chinese pair lost the first set 6-4 to South Africa's NadiaPetrova and the United States' Meghann Shaughnessy, and had to quit in the second set when 40-30 up in the first game as Li strained her right leg.

Li and Sun, who knocked out third-seeded Russia's Liezel Huber and Japan's Ai Sugiyama to reach semis, had shown wonderful performance, leading 4-1 after grabbing the initiative by breakingopponents' opening service game of the first.

But the sixth-seeded Petrova and Shaughnessy came back immediately, taking five games in a row including two on Li and Sun's break-points.

"We are satisfied, however, with Li Ting and Sun Tiantian's performance," said coach Zhang Qi of the Chinese pair.

With the injury, Li Ting could be sidelined up to six weeks, asher partner Sun Tiantian is playing next week's 585,000 US dollarswomen's tennis championships, together with fellow Chinese Zheng Jie and Yan Zi, who reached the last eight in Miami.

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