Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Paris Open on doctors' advice because of a virus, she said in a statement on Thursday.
The Russian second seed, who had a bye in the first round, was due to play Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States in the second round on Thursday but was not well enough to take to the court.
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
Sharapova had missed her media commitments earlier in the week and only managed to train for 10 minutes on Wednesday.
Her withdrawal, along with a number of others before the tournament, increases the chances of victory for top seed Kim Clijsters, who only needs to reach the semi-finals to become world number one again.
Advertisement
{{/htLoading}}{{#usCountry}}