Serena Williams will miss the China Open after being left out of Friday’s draw. Williams had been expected to play, and organizers did not explain why she was not in the draw. Williams lost to Sam Stosur in the U.S. Open final, but she won two tournaments heading into the final Grand Slam of the season and had been considered a favorite.

Maria Sharapova has pulled out of the China Open after injuring her left ankle at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Sharapova, currently second in the world rankings, was not in Friday’s draw for the China Open beginning Saturday in Beijing. She twisted her left ankle while serving in the first set of Thursday’s quarterfinal against Petra Kvitova.

Andy Murray defeated Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4 Friday to reach the semifinals of the Thailand Open. The top-seeded Murray broke in the ninth game of each set to set up the win. The 20-year-old behind 5-4 down in the second set and smashed his racket. “At the end of both sets, he missed a few shots,” Murray said.

Despite complaining about the length of the calendar, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will take part in exhibitions this December.

ESPN Deportes reports that Nadal and David Ferrer will play an exhibition in Mexico City on December 5, just days after the Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina ends. The Davis Cup final will be played in Spain. Nadal is said to earn at least $1 million per exhibition.

The web site Fue Buena reports that Federer is planning a series of exhibitions in South America sometime after the ATP World Tour Finals in December 2012. There are already agreements in place in Colombia and Brazil, and Argentina and Chile are also options. Brazil News confirmed with Federer’s agent that two exhibitions will be held there. Federer will reportedly earn at least $2 million. His opponents are unknown.

Gael Monfils will work with Henri Leconte during the upcoming tournaments in Valencia and Bercy (the Paris Masters), L’Equipe reports. Monfils has been without a coach since ending his relationship with Roger Rasheed earlier in the summer. Leconte, a former Top 10 player, is a notable TV commentator, but has done very little coaching. “Gael is someone that I love and who has enormous potential, a game and a lot of unusual charisma,” Leconte said. “This is a big challenge for me but makes me very happy.”

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the WTA mandatory tournament in Beijing for medical reasons, joining No. 2 Maria Sharapova on the sidelines.

Williams also pulled out of Tokyo due to medical reasons and it is
unclear whether she has plans to play any more the rest of the year.
Serena was off the tour for nearly a year due to illness and injury. She
returned just before Wimbledon and had an outstanding summer on North American
hard courts before falling to Samantha Stosur in the final of the U.S.
Open.

Sharapova badly twisted her left ankle coming down from a serve in the first set of Thursday’s quarterfinal in Tokyo against Petra Kvtiova. An MRI showed that that she did not suffer any bone damage, but her ankle is said to be badly swollen. Her return date is unknown.

Despite complaining about the length of the calendar, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will take part in exhibitions this December.

ESPN Deportes reports that Nadal and David Ferrer will play an exhibition in Mexico City on December 5, just days after the Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina ends. The Davis Cup final will be played in Spain. Nadal is said to earn at least $1 million per exhibition.

The web site Fue Buena reports that Federer is planning a series of exhibitions in South America sometime after the ATP World Tour Finals in December 2012. There are already agreements in place in Colombia and Brazil, and Argentina and Chile are also options. Brazil News confirmed with Federer’s agent that two exhibitions will be held there. Federer will reportedly earn at least $2 million. His opponents are unknown.

Gael Monfils will work with Henri Leconte during the upcoming tournaments in Valencia and Bercy (the Paris Masters), L’Equipe reports. Monfils has been without a coach since ending his relationship with Roger Rasheed earlier in the summer. Leconte, a former Top 10 player, is a notable TV commentator, but has done very little coaching. “Gael is someone that I love and who has enormous potential, a game and a lot of unusual charisma,” Leconte said. “This is a big challenge for me but makes me very happy.”

BEIJING (AP)—Serena Williams will miss the China Open after being left out of Friday’s draw.

Williams had been expected to play, and organizers did not explain why she was not in the draw.

Williams lost to Sam Stosur in the U.S. Open final, but she won two tournaments heading into the final Grand Slam of the season and had been considered a favorite.

Maria Sharapova also pulled out of the tournament. She injured her left ankle this week at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.