Dramatic injury forces Venus Williams to withdraw from Australian Open

AFP - American Venus Williams retired hurt with a muscle strain after just one game of her Australian Open third round match against Germany's Andrea Petkovic on Friday.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner screamed in pain and stopped playing while receiving at 0-1 down, after being broken in the first game. She limped to her chair and quickly conceded defeat after seeing a trainer.

Petkovic was stunned at the retirement by Williams, her first in 251 Grand Slam matches. Williams had needed treatment to a psoas muscle, which runs from the abdomen to the groin, in her previous match.

"I am very surprised she retired," said the German. "I saw she got injured in her last game but she finished that match so I figured she was going to play tonight."

Petkovic has now reached the last 16 at a Grand Slam for the second time in succession. She was beaten at the same stage of the 2010 US Open by eventual runner up Vera Zvonareva.

She will take on former champion Maria Sharapova in the fourth round.