Sharapova quits Tokyo semi-final due to injury

TOKYO, Feb 3 (Reuters) World number one Maria Sharapova retired in the second set of her Pan Pacific Open semi-final against Serbia's Ana Ivanovic due to a hamstring injury.

Sharapova, trailing 1-6 1-0, said she felt a sharp pain after serving in the second game of the first set, adding that she had been carrying a hamstring strain since the Australian Open.

''It's always difficult to end the tournament this way,'' the 19-year-old Russian told reporters. ''I was hoping the pain would settle or get better, but against a top player it is hard to get away with not serving or returning well.

''My left hamstring has been having tightness since the Australian Open but after a grand slam you are tight all over,'' said Sharapova, who lost to Serena Williams in the Melbourne Park final last weekend.

''But this was a sudden sharper pain after I landed after the serve. I asked the trainer and she said these kind of strains take seven or 10 days to recover from, so hopefully I can recover quickly.'' Fifth-seeded Ivanovic stormed into a one-set lead as an out-of-sorts Sharapova struggled on serve and the top seed called for her trainer at the end of the first set.

With on-court coaching allowed in Tokyo, Sharapova and coach Michael Joyce had a testy exchange with the umpire after the player was initially denied treatment for her injury.

An angry Sharapova, who won the Tokyo title in 2005, demanded to see her trainer and Joyce accused the umpire of not knowing the rules. The trainer was eventually allowed on court.

A clearly limping Sharapova won her first service game of the second set before retiring.

Ivanovic will play either Martina Hingis or Elena Dementieva in the final of the 1.3 million dollar tournament.

Reuters PM DB1208