MIAMI: Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska hopes a few days rest and a first round bye will give her injured knee enough time to heal and keep her from withdrawing from the Sony Open, the world number three said on Tuesday.
Radwanska’s participation in Miami is in doubt after she limped to a 6-2 6-1 loss to Italy’s Flavia Pennetta on Sunday in the final of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
“Now I am having just a few days off, lucky I am playing Friday so hopefully then I will be good,” said Radwanska, who will play either Serbian Bojana Jovanovski or Switzerland’s Romina Oprandi.
“Lots of treatment, pills and other stuff that can help I will do. I will try, I still have a few days I am hopeful I can do it.”
A winner in Miami in 2012, Radwanska had been in superb form this season, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open and Doha followed by her finals appearance in Indian Wells.
Radwanska went into the match against Pennetta as a slight favourite but was unable to play anywhere near her best because of a knee injury that severely restricted her movement.
She called for a medical timeout early in the second set and struggled to control her emotions at the ceremony.
“The final in a mandatory tournament is a good result,” offered a reflective Radwanska about her loss.
“I had never been to the finals there before. It is never good to lose a final but a final is a final.
“The pain is always going to be in your head when you know there is something wrong but I still have a couple days before my first match so hopefully it will be much better.”
Meanwhile, in first round results on Tuesday, Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova beat former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-2, earning a second-round meeting with world number one Serena Williams.
The tournament began on a down note for the home contingent with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands falling 6-3 3-6 6-3 to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina. (Reuters)