Azarenka wins WTA Apia International

No. 3 ranked, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated No. 5 ranked Na Li of China in the final of the WTA Apia International played in Sydney, Australia on Friday.

Azarenka overcame a second-set lapse in the Australian warm-up tournament for a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 win over last year’s champion Li.

After staying on serve until 4-3 in the deciding set, Azarenka broke Li for a chance to serve out the match, saving two break points in the process.

Wozniacki upset by Radwanska, could lose No. 1 ranking

World No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, was upset on Wednesday in a quarterfinal match at the 2012 WTA Apia International Sydney tournament by No. 7 seed, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

Wozniacki had a chance to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, but was broken, then lost four straight games leading to a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 defeat. In that final set, the 21-year-old Dane underwent multiple treatments on her left wrist.

Petkovic and Venus Williams withdraw from Australian Open

With the 2012 Australian Open just around the corner, the tournament withdrawals are mounting. Today, the No. 10 seed, Andrea Petkovic of Germany withdrew with a stress fracture in her lower back. The injury could keep her sidelined for two months.

Petkovic lost 7-5, 6-4 to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in a second-round match at the Sydney International on Tuesday. She needed an injury time-out during the match to receive treatment from a trainer.

Serena Williams withdraws unexpectedly from China Open

The former World No. 1, Serena Williams of the USA, and 2011 U.S. Open runner-up has pulled out of the China Open for a second year in a row.

Serena was scheduled to play in Beijing, but the tournament website said the American star failed to show up on Friday, the day she was due to arrive.

Venus Williams withdraws from the U.S. Open

Two-time champion Venus Williams of the USA has withdrawn from the U.S. Open due to an illness.

Williams was scheduled to play 22nd-seeded Sabine Lisicki in the 2nd round.

In a statement afterward, she said: “I have been recently diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease which is an ongoing medical condition that affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain.”

The 31-year-old 36th ranked Williams pulled out of two hard-court tuneup tournaments this summer because of a virus. In her first match in two months, Williams beat 91 ranked Vesna Dolonts of Russia 6-4, 6-3 in round one at Flushing Meadows on Monday.

Sharapova downs Stosur for title

No. 7 Maria Sharapova of Russia defeated No. 8 Samatha Stosur of Australia 6-2, 6-4 to win the championship at the Internazionali BNL d’ Italia Alice Cup in Rome on Sunday.

Sharapova was dominant from the start, winning 14 of the first 15 points in the match to take a 4-0 lead, finishing off that first set 6-2. Sharapova broke Stosur’s serve five times in all, winning the second set 6-4 to win the title.

Goerges defeats Wozniacki in 2nd meeting in a row

Julia Goerges, the 22 year-old rising star from Germany, defeated World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark for the 2nd time in two weeks. Goerges won the 3rd round of the 2011 WTA Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open in Madrid, Spain in a see-saw 3-set match ending up 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Goerges downs Wozniacki for Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title

Unseeded Julia Goerges of Germany finished the best week of her career with her biggest victory, defeating World No. 1,
Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 7-6(3), 6-3.

There was only one break of serve in the 1 hour, 39 minute match, but that was all it took for Goerges to win the match.

The first set was a struggle with both players serving well, not allowing the other into their service games. Wozniacki created one break-point opportunity in the set but failed to convert, before Goerges raced through the tie-break.

Azarenka triumphs over Sharapova

No. 8 seed, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus easily triumphed over No. 16 seed, Maria Sharapova of Russia in a straight-sets victory, 6-1, 6-4, in the Final of the 2011 WTA Sony Ericsson Open in Miami on Saturday.

Azarenka came out with guns blazing, while Sharapova hardly got her guns out of the holster, with the resulting match not really what we would expect from a WTA Final. Azarenka broke serve the first eight times Sharapova served, taking a 6-1, 4-0 lead before Sharapova held serve for the first and only time. Sharapova then broke Azarenka’s serve twice to bring it up to 4-5, giving a little glimpse of hope. But Azarenka closed it out at 6-4.

Azarenka and Sharapova reach final

No. 8 seed, Victoria Azarenka and No. 16 seed, Maria Sharapova, will face off on Saturday in the Final of the 2011 WTA Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

They are tied at 2-2 in career matches, with Azarenka winning their last match in last year’s Stanford final, 6-4, 6-1.

Azarenka defeated No. 3 seed, Vera Zvonareva 6-0, 6-3 in her Semifinal match, while Sharapova took down Andrea Petkovic 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.