Auckland, Jan 5 (IANS): Top seed Sabine Lisicki of Germany was forced to retire injured in her ASB Tennis Classic quarterfinal against compatriot Angelique Kerber here Thursday.
Kerber won the first set 6-4 and was up 4-3 in the second when Lisicki withdrew with an abdominal injury, Xinhua reported.
Kerber will play the fourth seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy in the semifinal, who beat Elena Vesnina of Russia in straight sets 6-2, 6-1.
China's Zheng Jie also had little trouble in beating Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, winning 6-2, 6-3.
Third seed and two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia plays Sara Errani of Italy Thursday evening to decide who will take the last semifinal berth.