Karin Knapp

Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Stefan Koubek and Karin Knapp have withdrawn from the Olympic tennis tournament because of injuries on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old Tsonga, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final, is still undergoing physical therapy following a knee operation, according to the French tennis federation.

"In agreement with Bernard Montalvan, doctor for the French team, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga believes he is not ready to participate in the games," the French federation said in a statement.

The ITF have announced that the the following changes have been made to the entry list for the 2008 Olympic Tennis Event in Beijing:

Men's Singles

Stefan Koubek (AUT) has withdrawn through injury and been replaced by Chris Guccione (AUS)

Women's Singles

Karin Knapp (ITA) has withdrawn through injury and been replaced by Mara Santangelo (ITA)

Austria's Stefan Koubek and Italian Karin Knapp have both withdrawn from next month's Olympic tennis tournament in Beijing.

Australia's Chris Guccione has replaced Koubek in the men's singles draw. Italy's Mara Santangelo has replaced Knapp.

The Olympic tennis event will be staged Sunday, August 10 through Sunday, August  17 at the new Olympic Tennis Center in Beijing, China. The competition will include 64-player men’s and women’s singles draws and a 32-team draw in men’s and women’s doubles.

Top seed Maria Sharapova reached the last 16 of the French Open on Saturday by defeating Karin Knapp of Italy 7-6 (7/4), 6-0.
 
As in the first two rounds though it was painful progress for the world No.1 whose power game and flat-hitting is ill-suited to the rigours of claycourt tennis.
 
Knapp, who reached her first WTA final in Antwerp in February, stayed the course in the first set until 3-3 before Sharapova grabbed the first break of the match.
 

Roland Garros will have a new champion this year. Among those pressing their very real claims on Saturday are Maria Sharapova, who will be hoping to score a routine third round win after two difficult matches, and former runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova. Their fellow Russian, Dinara Safina, will be out to prove she is a real contender too, while Victoria Azarenka of Belarus will have her mettle tested by feisty Italian Francesca Schiavone.

Chatrier

Top-seeded Vera Zvonareva beat Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-3 in the first round of the Prague Open on Tuesday.
 
The 13th-ranked Russian will now play Slovakian wildcard Magdalena Rybarikova, who defeated Meghann Shaughnessy of the United States 6-1, 6-3.
 
Jill Craybas of the United States upset fifth-seeded Karin Knapp of Italy 6-4, 6-2, and Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan knocked out sixth-seeded Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-3.
 

Russian Vera Zvonareva made a solid start to her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event on red clay in nearly two years on Tuesday, routing lucky loser Lucie Hradecka in straight sets to reach the second round at the $145,000 ECM Prague Open.
 
Zvonareva, who has cut her ranking from No.22 to No.13 since the season began on the strength of a 26-7 win-loss record, gave up her serve once but retaliated with five breaks of her own during the 64-minute victory over the Czech Republic's Hradecka in what was the pair's first meeting.
 

Second-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko highlighted Friday's quarterfinal winners at the $145,000 Estoril Open.

Kirilenko reached her first-ever WTA Tour-level clay-court semi by leveling fifth-seeded Italian Tathiana Garbin 6-0, 6-1 on the red dirt at Estadio Nacional.

Up next for Kirilenko on Saturday will be sixth-seeded Czech Klara Zakopalova, who ousted third-seeded Italian Karin Knapp 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Day 5 here.

Iveta Benesova produced a fantastic performance on Wednesday to send top seed Flavia Pennetta crashing out of the Estoril Open in straight sets. Karin Knapp, Camille Pin and Klara Zakopalova also secured quarterfinal berths at the Tier IV event with relatively comfortable victories.
 

No.3 seed Karin Knapp got her challenge for the Estoril Open off to a flying start on Monday with a comprehensive straight set win over Frederica Piedade. Joining her in the second round of the Tier IV clay court event will be Sofia Arvidsson, Tsvetana Pironkova and Klara Zakopalova.