Wuhan, China - Venus Williams was a first-round loser Sunday in the inaugural Wuhan Tennis Open, while Victoria Azarenka withdrew from the event because of a foot injury that will also end her season. Azarenka, a wild card entry into this weeks tournament, made the announcement Sunday on her Facebook page, citing a foot injury. Unfortunately I will not be competing in any tournaments for the remainder of the season, she wrote. It has been a very tough year for me. I have been trying my best to improve day in and day out by pushing and pushing ... but that does not appear to be the best approach for me right now. I will use this time to work on making a full recovery and take care of my body to compete at my best next season. Azarenka did not win a tournament this year, reaching only one final -- a loss to Serena Williams in the season-opener at Brisbane. The two-time Australian Open champ missed seven of her first 16 scheduled events because of various injuries and will be replaced in this weeks draw by lucky loser Annika Beck of Germany. The eight top seeds in Wuhan, including world No. 1 Serena Williams, have first-round byes and Sundays action featured Caroline Garcias upset of Venus Williams. Garcia and Venus battled for more than 2 1/2 hours before the Frenchwoman finally emerged with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6) triumph. Shell next face fifth- seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland. Heat was a factor on Sunday in central China, as 16-year-old wild card Xu Shilin was forced to retire in the third set against American Alison Riske after nearly three hours on the court. The match was even after both players captured 6-4 wins in the first two sets and were tied at 6-6 in the third when Shilin was forced to call it quits because of the heat. Seeded winners Sunday included Russias Ekaterina Makarova and Germanys Andrea Petkovic. The 13th-seeded Makarova rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Serbias Bojana Jovanovski, while the 16th-seeded Petkovic rallied for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Croatian qualifier Donna Vekic. A pair of former Grand Slam champions were also in action and came away with different results. Russias Svetlana Kuznetsova thumped Japans Kurumi Nara, 6-3, 6-2, while Italys Francesca Schiavone, who first had to make it through qualifying, lost to Belgian wild card Kirsten Flipkens in three sets. Other winners Sunday were Czech veteran Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine and qualifiers Karin Knapp of Italy and Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan. Knapp won the Tashkent Open last Sunday, but was a first-round loser this week in Guangzhou. With Azarenkas withdrawal, 19 of the top 20 players are entered this week. Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province and the most populous city in central China. 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The get-together also included sports agent Brodie Van Wagenen, but not Cano.ZURICH - Three second-tier World Cup sponsors opting not to renew for the 2018 tournament in Russia was normal in sports business, FIFA insisted on Friday.Castrol, Continental and Johnson & Johnson all let their World Cup commercial deals expire in December amid widespread allegations of corruption implicating FIFA executive committee members.The companies were among eight second-tier FIFA partners who collectively paid $524 million to be associated with the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which earned more than $4 billion for the governing body.The 2018 tournament is expected to earn at least $5 billion with improved broadcasting deals, and a new FIFA marketing strategy to include more sponsors.Though sponsors have been urged to speak out against claims of corruption and FIFAs unwillingness to reform, none of the three departing backers voiced public criticism.In a statement on Friday, FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil said their leaving was normal.Rotations at the end of a sponsorship cycle are commonplace in the sports industry, Weil said. It is natural that as brands sstrategies evolve they reassess their sponsorship properties.dddddddddddd.Five of FIFAs top 14 commercial partners have left in the past six months. Top-tier sponsors Sony and Emirates declined to renew for a two-tournament deal also covering the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.It is widely expected that Samsung and Qatar Airways will step in as replacements. Russian energy company Gazprom has also signed a top-tier deal.Weil cites advanced negotiations with potential partners for the 2018 World Cup, where FIFA intends having more sponsors than in 2014.FIFA plans for 20 third-tier sponsors on regional deals worldwide instead of eight national sponsors in the host country.Of the eight second-tier sponsors, Budweiser and McDonalds already renewed for 2018.Sponsor deals cover a four-year cycle of tournaments, and would typically include the Womens World Cup kicking off in June in Canada.Still, FIFA has not committed to a timetable to confirm new contracts.We expect interest to grow even more as the Confederations Cup 2017 and 2018 World Cup draw closer, Weil said. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
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