Simona Halep withdraws from Miami Open with thigh injury

Former world No. 1 Simona Halep will not be facing Australian wild card Daria Saville in the second round of the Miami Open as previously scheduled. 

Per Reuters (h/t ESPN), Halep took to Twitter Thursday to confirm a leg injury that has been bothering her since she advanced to the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells last week will cause her to miss the Miami Open and several weeks of action. 

"I had been struggling with the thigh since my semi-final in Indian Wells and hoped it would improve, but I went for an MRI last night and unfortunately it showed a tear," the 30-year-old explained. "My body needs time to heal and as a result I will be out of competition for three weeks. This means I have had to make the super tough decision to pull out of Miami, Charleston and Fed Cup.

"While it feels like really disappointing news to share, I am keeping the confidence from my great start to the year and am motivated to do everything to be ready for the clay-court season."

Halep, who missed time with a calf injury last year, fell to Iga Swiatek at Indian Wells. Swiatek, meanwhile, went on to defeat Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-1 in the final and is now No. 2 in the world rankings.

Halep sits at No. 19 and will now prepare for clay-court matchups ahead of the French Open that begins on May 22. She reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open earlier this year.