SHARAPOVA OUT

FIVE-TIME Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova withdrew from the WTA Bank of the West Classic just before her scheduled second-round match yestersday with a left arm injury, tournament officials announced. “We’re sad to announce that @mariasharapova has withdrawn after doctor’s advice regarding her left arm,” a post on the tournament’s Twitter feed said. Sharapova played her first US match in more than two years on Monday, defeating American Jennifer Brady 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 in an opening-round match at the hardcourt event in Stanford, California. “Toward the end of the Monday night’s match, I felt pain in my left forearm,” Sharapova said yesterday. “After yesterday’s scan, the doctor has recommended I don’t risk further injury.”