SINGAPORE — World No. 1 Serena Williams has opted to pull out of the WTA Finals and end her season early following a roller coaster campaign that has taken its toll on her body, the American said Thursday. Serena, 34, has not played since her shock loss to Italy's Roberta Vinci in the semifinals of the US Open last month, which ended her bid to claim all four Grand Slam titles in the same season. The 21-time Grand Slam singles champion said she had been carrying injuries and the loss to Vinci had taken its toll, adding she would not play again this year after also pulling out of next week's China Open. “My journey in tennis this year has been at times exhilarating, at times disappointing,” Serena said in a statement carried by China Open organizers. “I've played injured most of the year - whether it was my elbow, my knee, or in the finals moments after a certain match in Flushing, my heart. “I'm a fierce competitor and I want to compete as well as I can, for as long as I can. “This is a very difficult decision, but one ultimately made because of the love of the game.” Venus ends Konta's run In China, Grand Slam finalists Garbine Muguruza and Roberta Vinci stormed into the last four of the Wuhan Open Thursday while Venus Williams ended the giant-killing run of Briton Johanna Konta. Konta had accounted for world No. 2 Simona Halep, 13th seed Andrea Petkovic and benefited from former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka retiring from their second-round clash but seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus proved too strong. The 24-year-old Sydney-born Konta, ranked 66th in the world, seemed on course for victory when she served for the match at 5-3 in the third set. The American, however, broke serve before reeling off the next three games to wrap up a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win. The 35-year-old former world No. 1's reward is a clash with Italian Vinci who knocked out Czech Karolina Pliskova 7-6(2), 6-3. Wimbledon runner-up Muguruza had a far easier afternoon as she swept past Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-2 6-2. Mannarino advances at Shenzhen Adrian Mannarino advanced to the quarterfinals of the Shenzhen Open by beating Chinese wild-card entry Yan Bai 7-5, 7-6 (7) Thursday at the Shenzhen Open. The Frenchman will next face fourth-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who defeated Lukas Rasol 6-4, 6-3. Also, second-seeded Marin Cilic dropped a set against John Millman of Australia before winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, while seventh-seeded Aljaz Bedene defeated Hyeon Chung 6-2, 6-0. Jovanovski beats Beck In Uzbekistan, top-seeded Annika Beck was eliminated in the Tashkent Open quarterfinals, losing to Bojana Jovanovski 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 Thursday as four unseeded players reached the semifinals. The loss ended Beck's bit for a second WTA title in two weeks after her victory in Quebec City last month. Jovanovski will next face Nao Hibino of Japan, who beat Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Kozlova 6-3, 6-3. Fourth-seeded Johanna Larsson of Sweden, the last seeded player left in the draw, was beaten 6-3, 5-7, 6-0 by Russia's Evgenia Rodina. In the semifinals Friday, Rodina meets Donna Vekic of Croatia, who beat German player Anna-Lena Friedsam 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. — Agencies
