Australian Opals star Marianna Tolo's Commonwealth Games ambitions are in danger of being shattered by a knee injury just two months before the event starts on the Gold Coast.
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It is understood Tolo suffered the injury during a national team camp in Italy and it will bring and early end to her stint with Turkish outfit Abdullah Gül Üniversitesi.
Tolo will have scans when she returns to Australia this week and it is hoped she has avoided a second anterior cruciate ligament injury, which would rule her out for up to nine months.
The Canberra Capitals were keen to lure the star centre back for the 2018-19 WNBL season but her desire to play in Europe made for an uphill battle.
A possible nine month stint on the sidelines is a cruel blow for the 28-year-old, who had to overcome an ACL injury to be fit for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
The second ACL tear of her career would also rub Tolo out of contention for the 2018 FIBA Women's World Cup, which begins in Spain on September 22.
The WNBL's free agency window has opened and the Capitals have just one player contracted for the 2018-19 season in 21-year-old Lauren Scherf.
Rebuilding the roster has been a slow process so far with Capitals coach Paul Goriss in Italy with the Opals squad, and the club working to settle on a budget.
Small forward Keely Froling and vice-captain Kate Gaze look likely to stay in Canberra, with the pair set to suit up for the Canberra Capitals Academy in the SEABL.
