Venus Williams, the 3 time Sony Open Champion was sidelined with a lower back injury forcing her to cancel her 3^rd round match against Sloane Stephens.

Venus Williams, seeded 19^th, was extended to three sets in the second round Thursday against Kimiko Date-Krumm. Williams said her back began to bother her on Friday. After a warm up Williams realized she would not be able to play her Saturday match against Stephens.

"It's really disappointing," Williams told the Associated Press about her injury. "But I have faced disappointments in my life and my career. It's not the first; probably not the last."

Saturday's match would have been the most appealing match of the tournament. It would have seen rising star Sloane Stephens against the 7-time Grand Slam Champion Venus Williams.

The Associated Press spoke with Stephens, "I'm a little bummed, but I guess a win is a win. On to the next round," she said.

Stephens might get a chance to play Williams in a rematch during the Sony Open's Semi-finals.

As for Venus Williams she is hoping her back injury will not keep her from playing her next scheduled match in Charleston South Carolina on April 1.

"That's always a concern, but I have dealt with injuries before in my whole career," Williams told AP. "I feel like also I know how to hopefully recover quickly from them."

Venus Williams has been playing tennis since she was a child after her father introduced her to the game. Williams went pro in 1994 and has since won 5 Wimbledon championships and 4 Olympic gold medals.