Kvitova out of Birmingham, still hopes to play Wimbledon

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Defending champion Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from next week's Birmingham Classic because of an arm injury that ruled her out of the French Open, but is still hopeful of playing at Wimbledon.

Kvitova said on Twitter on Wednesday that "unfortunately Birmingham is too soon, but I'm working really hard to get back as soon as possible," adding that she is "keeping everything crossed for @Wimbledon."

The fifth-ranked Kvitova won the Birmingham tournament the last two years and is hoping to compete for a third Wimbledon title when the grass-court Grand Slam starts next month.

The Birmingham Classic will still feature the three highest-ranked women as No. 1 Naomi Osaka, French Open champion Ashleigh Barty — who has risen to No. 2 — and third-ranked Karolina Pliskova are set to compete.