Injury forces Schnyder out of Istanbul WTA

ISTANBUL: Swiss third seed Patty Schnyder on Thursday pulled out of the WTA Istanbul tournament because of a right thigh injury just ahead of her quarter-final match with Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko.   

"I decided to withdraw from the tournament after the pain in my right thigh muscle increased during the night and continued this morning," the 28-year-old said.   

But she said she still plans to attend the French Open, which starts in Paris on Sunday.   

"Since I will have my doctor with me in Paris, I do not think I will have a problem and still plan to compete in the tournament," she said.   

Schnyder's withdrawal means Bondarenko, the number five seed, advanced to the semi-finals of the 200,000-dollar clay court tournament.