Zvonareva limps out in Doha

Doha - Defending champion Vera Zvonareva of Russia limped out of the WTA Qatar Open with a left hip injury midway through her second round match against Romania's Monica Niculescu on Wednesday.

Niculescu had taken the first set 7-5 and was leading 3-2 in the second when Zvonareva, the sixth seed, called it quits, the second time she was doing so in as many weeks because of the same problem.

Last week in Pattaya, Zvonareva quit during her quarter-final match with another Romanian, Sorana Cirstea, who was taking on Australia's Samantha Stosur in Doha on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday the fourth seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland thrashed Great Britain's Anne Keothavong 6-1, 6-2, while French fifth seed Marion Bartoli also had it easy, beating Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2, 6-0.

Serb Jelena jankovic also bowed out, falling to Israeli Shahar Peer 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.