Samantha Stosur has moved into the semi-finals of the China Open in a walkover after reigning champion Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament with a knee injury.
The top-ranked Williams had been due to face Australian Stosur in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Playing with strapping on her knee, the American beat Lucie Safarova 6-1 1-6 6-2 in the third round on Thursday evening and then skipped her post-match press conference because of swelling in the knee.
Williams retired from the Wuhan Open a week ago during her first-round match with a viral illness.
Her sister, Venus, also withdrew from the China Open this week, citing a virus.
Serena spoke of her frustration but said it was too early to say if her season was over.
The power-hitting American is scheduled later this month to play in the WTA Finals in Singapore, the end-of-season finale involving the world's top eight women players.
But she refused to say if her participation in that event would be affected by her injury at a press conference in Beijing.
"I don't know yet. I haven't had time to get an MRI scan. I'm going to do all that and see what is the root of the problem, I think," she said.
Williams would have secured the year-end No.1 ranking if she had retained her title at the final in Beijing - the fourth time in her career that she has achieved such a feat.
She is also a four-time winner of the end of season finale, and the current champion after defeating recently-retired Chinese star Li Na in last year's final.
"If I feel this way for Singapore, I don't think it's smart for me to play. Other than that, I'm just going to see how it goes," she told reporters.
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