Muguruza withdraws from San Jose tourney again

Former world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza pulled out of the Mubadala Silicon
Valley Classic in San Jose for the second consecutive year, this time with a
right leg injury. 2017 photo by Mal Taam

   Here we go again.
   One year after the inaugural Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic was plagued by withdrawals of marquee players, the tournament incurred another.
   Garbine Muguruza pulled out of the Silicon Valley Classic for the second consecutive year, this time with a right leg injury, tournament organizers announced today.
   Muguruza withdrew with an arm problem last year, hours before she was to play Victoria Azarenka in a second-round matchup of former world No. 1s and two-time Grand Slam singles champions. Muguruza, seeded first, had received a first-round bye.
   The draw for this year's tournament will be held Friday at 6 p.m. Qualifying is scheduled to begin Saturday at 10 a.m., and the main draw is set for Monday through Aug. 4.
   Since winning Wimbledon in 2017, Muguruza has failed to reach the third round at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. She lost to 47th-ranked Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium in the second round last year and to 121st-ranked qualifier Beatrice Haddad Maia of Brazil in the first round three weeks ago.
   Also withdrawing from last year's Silicon Valley Classic were second-seeded Madison Keys (right wrist) before her second-round match and former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova (fatigue) 10 days before the tournament began.
   Keys won the 2017 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford. Sharapova, a right-hander, also withdrew from her second-round match in that tournament with left arm soreness.
   With the U.S. Open beginning in late August, players are very cautious.
   The Bank of the West Classic moved to San Jose in 2018 after 21 years at Stanford.