Sania Mirza suffers torn ligament in right knee

HYDERABAD, India: India’s top-seeded tennis player Sania Mirza will be unable to play for at least four weeks after tearing a ligament in her right knee, a doctor said Saturday.

Mirza, 20, suffered the injury during her first match in the Qatar Open earlier this week. She pulled out of the tournament after her victory over Italy’s Romina Oprandi 6-4, 6-3. Mirza is ranked 46th on the WTA Tour, while Oprandi is in 59th place.

On Saturday, doctors in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, her hometown, performed an exploratory surgical procedure to check her ligament.

“Her knee ligament function was found to be adequate and there was no need for any surgical intervention,” said K. J. Reddy, a senior orthopedic surgeon at the Apollo Hospital.

“We have suggested an intense physiotherapy and rehabilitation program for her, and it will be reviewed after four weeks,” Reddy told reporters.