Black Tennis Pros

She decides not to play because of a knee injury and will focus on getting ready for the Olympics.

For those hoping to see Serena Williams play, you'll now have to wait until the Olympics. Williams, seeded second at this week's East West Bank Classic in Carson, withdrew from the tournament today because of a knee injury.

Williams was scheduled to play her second-round match Wednesday. The top eight seeded players received a first-round bye.

"It's a huge disappointment for me to be unable to play the East West Bank Classic in my hometown of L.A.," Williams said in a news release. "I've been getting intensive therapy and doing everything in my power to get my knew in shape for this week, waiting until the last possible moment to see if I could play."

Williams withdrew from the semifinal of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford on Saturday. She said Monday she was going to take this week's tournament day-by-day to see if she could play, given that her focus is currently on the Olympics and U.S. Open.

"There's two really big events that I'm going to be excited to be a part of," Williams said. "Honestly my Olympic gold, even though it was in doubles, is my favorite trophy I have."

Melanie South will replace Williams and face Petra Kvitova on Wednesday.

Birthday girl Mashona Washington threw up her arms and let out a loud scream when the final ball finally sailed out. There was reason to celebrate: Washington would be spending the rest of her big day preparing for the women's final at the $50,000 USTA East West Bank Classic Pro Challenger.

"I did not want to lose on my birthday," said Washington, who turned 32 on Saturday. "After my first two matches in qualifying everything else was a bonus. I've just been trying to put matches together."

Houston's Washington went straight to the trainer's table after her 7-6 (5), 6-2, semifinal win over fourth-seeded Anna Tatishvili. She came back with ice on her surgically repaired left knee. "It's feeling pretty good," she said. "I actually had to get some treatment on my back. It's been sore since Monday. I don't know if it's the softness of the beds here or what. But I have been getting some great sleeps."

Washington will play No. 2 seed Alexa Glatch, an 18-year-old from Newport Beach in today's 10 a.m. final.

UPDATE: Mashona defeated Alexa Glatch 7-5, 6-5 to take the championship. Work it girl!!

CARSON, Calif. -- It was about time. That’s what Mashona Washington said was working for her following her hard-fought, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over fellow American Kimberly Couts in the second round of the East West Bank Classic USTA Women’s $50,000 Pro Challenger Thursday at the Home Depot Center.

“It was just time,” said Washington, who upset the tournament’s top seed and her doubles partner Angela Haynes Wednesday. “That’s what was working for me. I’ve been through so many tournaments that lasted two matches, two matches, two matches. Now, finally I get a third match. Everything is a bonus from here on out. It feels great.”

Washington is coming back from injuries and had to work her way through qualifying here. Her current world ranking is 573. The brother of 1996 Wimbledon finalist MaliVai, Washington finished ranked in the top 50 in the world in 2004, the same year she beat her first top-10 player, Maria Sharapova, at New Haven, Conn.

In fact, it was two years ago that Washington almost beat Sharapova again in the first round of the French Open. She served for the match at 5–2 but could not hold serve. At 5-4 in the third set, she held match points before the then-world No. 4 broke back and won the final set, 7-5.

Washington meets wild-card entry Jamie Hampton in the quarterfinals.