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Li Na out of the Rogers Cup in Montreal

In an 8 a.m. press release from Tennis Canada, it was at the very bottom item after the scheduled practice times for Maria Sharapova and Eugenie Bouchard this weekend and various and sundry items.

World No. 2 Li Na has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

Li also will miss Cincinnati and the U.S. Open, because of her chronically troublesome knee.

Here is her official quote:

“I wanted to let all of my great fans know that unfortunately I am going to have to withdraw from the upcoming WTA events in Montréal and Cincinnati, as well as the US Open. Since March, I have been struggling with my knee and it is just not where I need it to be in order to play at the highest level. My medical team has advised me that I need to take some time off to rest my knee so it heals. I look forward to getting back on the court this fall in Wuhan and Beijing.”

Li reached the final in Montreal the last time it was played here, losing to reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

Li's withdrawal shuffles the seeds a little. Montreal's Genie Bouchard will now be the No. 5 seed although, for all intents and purposes, it doesn't change that much for her because she remains outside the top 4 seeds.

Yvonne Meusburger of Austria will also miss the tournament. As a result, two players get promoted to the main draw and won't have to go through qualifying: Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic and Alison Riske of the U.S.

Zahlavova Strycova, who spent time in Nadal's home country of Mallorca last week, is en route to Montreal.

She may not even be aware of the nice surprise that will greet her upon her arrival: an extra few days off until the main draw begins, and no need to slog through the qualifying over the weekend.