Costly win for Muguruza in Sydney International

Spain’s world number three Garbine Muguruza was forced out of the Sydney International with an injury following her win over Kiki Bertens on Wednesday.

A week after retiring from the Brisbane International with cramps, leading Australian Open contender Muguruza had an early medical timeout for a thigh injury before beating Bertens 6-3, 7-6 (8/6).

But the win came at a cost. The Wimbledon champion later announced she would be pulling out of the tournament, handing Australian Daria Gavrilova direct passage to the semi-finals.

Muguruza’s decision comes less than a week out from the Australian Open in Melbourne.

“I am disappointed but I have talked to the WTA doctors and my team after the match today and following their recommendation, I have to withdraw from the tournament,” Muguruza said.

“I have felt pain in my right adductor since I started practising here.

“Yesterday I felt better and wanted to play. However, during the match today the pain has been there all the time but I wanted to compete.”

Muguruza was leading 2-1 in the opening set when she sought a medical time-out.

She showed few ill-effects upon her return to the court, reeling off six of the next eight games to take a commanding lead against the 32nd-ranked Dutchwoman.

The Spanish top seed claimed the first set before needing a tiebreaker to see off her opponent.

Gavrilova downed Samantha Stosur in their all-Australian second round night match 6-4, 6-2 and will benefit from Muguruza’s setback to advance to the last four.

Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska reached her fifth Sydney quarter-final with a straight-sets win over American qualifier Catherine Bellis 7-6 (7/4), 6-0.

Radwanska will play Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi, who eliminated two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 7-6 (9/7), 6-2.

In the men’s event, Spanish top seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas was knocked out by Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 7-5.

The Spanish world number 22 needed treatment for a leg problem early in the second set but continued playing, without success, as Lorenzi moved into the quarter-finals.

The Italian will play Russian qualifier Daniil Medvedev for a semi-final berth.

French pair Adrian Mannarino and Benoit Paire progressed to the last eight with victories on Wednesday.

Fifth seed Mannarino downed Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis 6-2, 6-1, while Paire needed three sets to get past Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

Rising Australian star Alex de Minaur has a quarter-final with Spaniard Feliciano Lopez after his opponent Damir Dzumhur — 30th in the world rankings — retired when the youngster was leading 6-2 3-0.

Lopez took out Argentine third seed Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 7-6 (7/1).