STANFORD (California), July 20: Serena Williams has withdrawn from next week’s Stanford Classic due to a thumb injury, the organisers said on Thursday. Serena, the winner of eight grand slam titles, injured her thumb during her run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and has since pulled out of the Fed Cup and Cincinnati Open.

French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic of Serbia also withdrew with a knee injury.

The field will feature eighth-ranked Anna Chakvetadze of Russia, Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli of France, Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder and Daniela Hantuchova.—Reuters