/world sport
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Serena Williams has pulled out of next week's WTA Antwerp tournament, organisers have revealed.
Serena Williams will have dental surgery to rectify a condition that ruled her out of this week's Paris Open.
The American, the holder of eight Grand Slam titles, is to undergo dental surgery to rectify a condition that also ruled her out of competing in this week's Paris Open.
Organisers of the Antwerp tournament, which features seven of the top 20 players including world number one Justine Henin, will try to invite either Elena Dementieva or Nadia Petrova, both of Russia, to take Williams' place.
Meanwhile, world number one Henin and holder Ana Ivanovic have confirmed they will both be playing at the Berlin Open between May 5-11, a warm-up event for the French Open.
Ivanovic, 20, was a finalist at the Australian Open last month and broke into the top 10 for the first time when she won last year's Berlin Open where she beat third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final.
And having won the Berlin Open three times, in 2002, 2003 and 2005, Henin will be looking for a good performance ahead of Roland Garros a fortnight later, with a total prize fund of $1.34 million at stake.
Frenchwomen Virginie Razzano, Nathalie Dechy and Alize Cornet advanced to the second round of the Open Gaz de France on Wednesday.
Razzano outlasted eighth-seeded Alona Bondarenko 6-2 4-6 7-5 to face Cornet, who beat Klara Zakopalova 4-6 6-2 6-1. Dechy edged Peng Shuai 6-4 7-6 and will next play top-seeded Anna Chakvetadze of Russia.
"I could have lost today against Alona," Razzano said. "Two days ago, I could barely walk at the airport after arriving from China."
She, Dechy, and Cornet were on the French team eliminated by China in the first roast weekend.
In the beginning of the third set, Razzano had her back and legs massaged twice. On her first match point, she hit a forehand winner on Bondarenko's serve.
"Maybe I was more aggressive in the key moments of the third set," Razzano said.
China's Peng led Dechy 5-0 in the second-set tiebreaker, and Dechy ended up saving six set points to close the match on Peng's unforced error.
"Down 6-1 I told myself why wouldn't I try to rally? Just play one point at a time, give nothing away."
The 18-year-old Cornet erased seven break points and broke serve three times in the third set to beat Czech qualifier Zakopalova.
"Even if I started slowly, I then really fought hard to get the victory," Cornet said. E-mail to a friend 
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