Svetlana Kuznetsova retired from her match against Czech player Lucie Safarova at the Sydney International on Tuesday because of the heat, the tournament website reported.
Russia's two-time grand slam winner withdrew from the second-round match trailing 6-1, 2-0, the site said. Sydney is the last warm-up on the tour for the Australian Open, which starts January 16. Kuznetsova, seeded 19 for the slam, had thrashed compatriot Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-2 in the first round.
Kuznetsova was upset in the Auckland Classic semifinals last week by China's Zheng Jie. She beat Safarova in November's Fed Cup final, which Russia lost 3-2.
