Rome ? Venus Williams pulled out of the Italian Open with a wrist injury Tuesday 30 minutes before her match against Anna Kournikova. The decision raised questions about whether the world’s top-ranked player will be ready for the French Open.

While Jennifer Capriati won her first match in Rome in nine years and Kournikova beat replacement Lilia Osterloh in three sets, Williams was left to explain another late withdrawal from a headline match under mysterious circumstances.

Williams told the crowd she injured her right wrist while picking up her bag at practice. She appeared on court and apologized to the fans.

The injury comes at a bad time for Williams, with the French Open less than two weeks away.

“It really makes me somewhat nervous about the French, that I won’t be able to play this week, that I’ll have two weeks that I can’t play a tournament,” she said.

Last year, Williams pulled out of a semifinal match against her sister Serena in similar fashion at a tournament in Indian Wells, Calif.

Kournikova, a former top 10 player still seeking her first tournament title, beat Osterloh 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 to reach the third round.

Second-ranked Capriati needed only 50 minutes to beat Slovenia’s Maja Matevzic 6-2, 6-1.

Capriati was named sportswoman of the year by the Laureus World Sports Academy. Race car driver Michael Schumacher was named sportsman of the year.