Serena to miss Paris


Williams is still not ready to return

Serena Williams will not defend her Paris Open title because she is still
recovering from a knee operation.
The younger Williams sister has not competed since her triumph at Wimbledon
last July. She had surgery on 1 August.

Last month she skipped the Australian Open, foregoing the defence of her
title in the year's first grand slam.

Her withdrawal from the Paris event came hours after her sister Venus
withdrew from her quarter-final in Tokyo with a leg injury.

Last year's beaten finalist in Paris, Amelie Mauresmo, also withdrew on
Friday because of the shoulder injury that ended her Australian Open hopes.

The world number three looked to have finally laid her injury problems to
rest after romping through the early rounds in Melbourne last month.

But the Frenchwoman failed a fitness test less than an hour before her
quarter-final against Colombia's Fabiola Zuluaga.

She injured her back stretching for a volley during her fourth-round match
against Alicia Molik.

The French player was beaten by American Serena Williams in the final of the
Paris Open last year.

She will be replaced in the draw by Switzerland's world number 15 Patty
Schnyder.