Davenport, Petrova Succumb to Illness at WTA Sydney

No. 1 seed Lindsay Davenport withdrew from the WTA stop in Sydney Thursday with a case of bronchitis, with only a three-day recovery window before the beginning of the Australian Open.

“It’s just one of those things where my throat hurts, it's hard to breathe, it's hard to talk, I'm coughing and my body is just below average," Davenport said after her withdrawal, which gave a walkover into the semifinals for homecountry favorite Sam Stosur.

Also succumbing was Russian No. 5 seed Nadia Petrova, who retired trailing 6-3, 4-2 to Chinese qualifier Shunai Peng due to heat illness.

Fighting through the Australian heat were No. 3-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva (d. (7) Schnyder 6-1 in the third) and No. 6-seeded Aussie Alicia Molik (d. Zuluaga).

Friday’s semifinals line up as Stosur vs. (3) Dementieva (first meeting), and (6) Molik vs. Peng (first meeting).