Wozniacki heading to Melbourne after wrist injury diagnosis

Jan 12, 2012, 6:15 GMT

Melbourne - Caroline Wozniacki could find her longtime number one ranking in danger after suffering a wrist injury in a quarter-final loss in Sydney.

The 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 defeat in a match that ended Thursday morning against her best friend Agnieszka Radwanska was also a blow to her hopes of holding onto the top spot. Should Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova win the Sydney title, she would take over as number one, according to WTA calculations.

Wozniacki had the wrist wrapped during the closing stages of her loss and was having it checked Thursday before travelling to Melbourne, where the Australian Open is to begin Monday. Doctors told her there was inflammation but no serious injury, leaving her confident of playing the major.

Wozniacki might have dodged an injury bullet. Venus Williams, however, has already pulled out as she deals with an energy-sapping illness.

Her sister Serena suffered a rolled ankle last week while Kim Clijsters, the defending champion, is also hurting but improving with a hip flexor problem.

Germans have felt the pain in particular, with Andrea Petkovic out for up to several months with a stress fracture in her back. Sabine Lisicki and Julia Goerges are also not top fit while former champion Maria Sharapova has not played this season because of an ankle worry.

'I'm so disappointed,' said Petkovic, 10th in the world. 'I've been having some back problems for the last three or four months. I've been struggling with it, but I've always believed it was going to be fine, and so I pushed through the pain.

'The last two weeks in Australia, I've been having bigger problems. I could only play for 30 to 45 minutes without pain.'

Wozniacki was staying positive about her problem: 'I hope it's not serious. I could feel it especially in the third set. I should be completely fine for the Australian Open, but I started feeling it more and more during the match.'

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