Svetlana Kuznetsova will not be earning a second straight WTA tour title after retiring in her semi-final clash with third-seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone in the Bausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island, Florida.
The fifth seed from Russia was trailing Schiavone 7-6 (7/2) 3-2 when she retired with a right hamstring injury.
Kuznetsova won the NASDAQ-100 Open crown in Miami last week. It was her first title on American soil since claiming the 2004 US Open crown.
Kuznetsova had been 3-1 against Schiavone but was hammered 6-3 6-1 in their last meeting in Moscow last October.
Schiavone will face another Russian, top seed Nadia Petrova, in the final. Petrova routed 15th seed Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-3 6-2 in the second semi-final.
