Although she was comfortablebly able to beat fellow Spaniard Maria Antonio-Sanchez Lorenzo 6-3, 6-0, to reach the qtr finals on Thursday, she admitted she is playing in pain from a tendon injury in her left wrist.

"It started last November and was very painful," said the third seeded Sanchez-Vicario. "I couldn't play my back hand, which is my best shot. It was very difficult because it was a new experience for me. I never got hurt that badly before."

The injury explains her miserable form in recent months. Until she entered a small tournament in Cairo last week and walked off with the title, she had won just two matches in her last 7 events. 

To correct the problem requires surgery but Sanchez Vicario is unwilling to make such a move as would probably rule her out for the rest of the season.

"It's something you can only fix if you have an operation and I don't want to do that because I would lose a whole year," she said. "I couldn't move it for a month and a half. With the operation and the recovery and physiotherapy that's half a year, and then to come back to play again would take more time. So I play with it taped and have physiotherapy every day and that helps"