ANTWERP, Feb 15 — Germany’s Andrea Petkovic won the WTA Diamond Games tournament today when her final opponent Carla Suarez Navarro pulled out before the match with a neck injury.

Petkovic’s victory is her sixth on the WTA Tour and will ensure she breaks into the world top ten when the new rankings are released.

“I woke up in the morning and I felt this pain in my neck,” said Suarez Navarro.

“I went to the physio to get treatment and tried to play at 11.30am, then had physio again and tried to play again at 2.15pm, and I just couldn’t serve. I couldn’t play like I wanted. So I had to pull out of this final.

“I’m really sorry. I love this tournament and I had a great week. I really tried today.”

For the 27-year-old Petkovic, it was her fourth title in ten months, as she continues her return to form after a career-high ranking of world number nine after reaching  since reaching the quarter-finals at the US Open and Australian Open in 2011.

Injuries saw her slide down the rankings and outside the top 100 but a strong 2014 season, including a run to the French Open semi-finals, shows she is back to her best. — AFP