ELENA Baltacha has pulled out of the second round of the Strasbourg Open – in a bid to take her place in the French Open which starts this weekend.

The Ipswich-based British number one took what has been described as a “precautionary measure” and withdrew from her scheduled second round match against top seed Marion Bartoli after experiencing discomfort in her back.

Baltacha said: “I’m very disappointed because I was really looking forward to playing Marion. Unfortunately I felt a twinge in my back before the match and I withdrew as a precaution. At a tournament of this importance and against such a strong opponent you need to be fully fit.

“The WTA medical team here have been great and they expect it to settle down quickly with a couple of days rest, which is good news ahead of the French Open.”