Serena Williams pulls out of East West Bank Classic

For those hoping to see Serena Williams play, you’ll now have to wait until the Olympics. Williams, seeded second at this week’s East West Bank Classic in Carson, withdrew from the tournament today because of a knee injury.

Williams was scheduled to play her second-round match Wednesday. The top eight seeded players received a first-round bye.

“It’s a huge disappointment for me to be unable to play the East West Bank Classic in my hometown of L.A.,” Williams said in a news release. “I’ve been getting intensive therapy and doing everything in my power to get my knew in shape for this week, waiting until the last possible moment to see if I could play.”

Williams withdrew from the semifinal of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford on Saturday. She said Monday she was going to take this week’s tournament day-by-day to see if she could play, given that her focus is currently on the Olympics and U.S. Open.

“There’s two really big events that I’m going to be excited to be a part of,” Williams said. “Honestly my Olympic gold, even though it was in doubles, is my favorite trophy I have.”

Melanie South will replace Williams and face Petra Kvitova on Wednesday