Wozniacki easy victor over Martinez Sanchez at Indian Wells

World No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, had an easy time reaching the 4th round of the 2011 WTA BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells with a win over Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain, 6-1, 6-3.

Martinez Sanchez was 3-0 against Wozniacki in previous matches, but this time, Wozniacki was the more consistent player and the outcome was reversed from their previous three meetings.

Martinez Sanchez got only 28 percent of her first serves in during the first set. Wozniacki took advantage, going on offense as soon as the second serves arrived. Her returns left the Spaniard scrambling during many points.

Sharapova loses in first round of Pan Pacific Open

No. 15 ranked Maria Sharapova of Russia was sent packing today by No. 67 ranked wildcard Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan in the first round of the 2010 Pan Pacific Open being played in Tokyo, Japan.

The 23-year-old Maria was the defending champion of this tournament, but was shown the exit door by a local resident and all-time Japanese # 1 Kimiko who turns 40 tomorrow.

Long-time Japanese crowd favorite Kimiko stunned the former world No. 1 Maria 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. Kimiko advanced in 2 hours, 9 minutes, as Maria, still struggling with her serve, piled up 11 double faults and had her big serve broken five times.

Venus Williams cruises into 4th round

Five-time Wimbledon champion, and current World No. 2, Venus Williams, advanced to the 4th round of Wimbledon 2010 without really being challenged.

Her victims have been , 6-3, 6-2, Ekaterina Makarova, 6-0, 6-4, Alisa Kleybanova, 6-4, 6-2.

Venus’ next opponent will be No. 92 ranked Jarmila Groth.

Venus has had a rather easy draw. Looking ahead if she wins her next two matches, she could face Jelena Jankovic, Kim Clijsters, or Justine Henin in the semifinals.

Clijsters Exits Indian Wells Thanks To Kleybanova

Kim Clijsters of Belgium, one of the few tennis playing moms on the WTA Tour, had taken her leave from Indian Wells thanks to the persistent play of Alisa Kleybanova of Russia. It was a tight match, going to a 3rd set tiebreak, with Kleybanova coming out on top, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4).

Clijsters was up 4-0 in the 3rd set, but Kleybanova came back to tie it and send it into the tiebreak. “What got me to be ahead was I was playing aggressive tennis and being dominant,” Clijsters said about her performance, which saw her get back into the match by winning the second set but losing a 4-0 lead in the third. “[Kleybanova] put me under pressure during those long rallies and I kind of just backed off a little bit.”

Kleybanova Upsets Dementieva for First WTA Title

No. 26 ranked Alisa Kleybanova upset top-seeded No. 7 ranked Elena Dementieva in an all-Russian final at the 2010 WTA Malaysia Classic played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Feb. 22-28. It was an easy victory for Kleybanova who won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.

Dementieva had not lost a set on her route to the final, but she struggled on serve and two breaks allowed her Russian compatriot to take the first set 6-3 in Kuala Lumpur.

Kleybanova, the fourth seed, playing in a tour final for the first time, showed no sign of nerves as she continued her impressive display to close out the second set for a comfortable 6-3 6-2 win.

Henin Survives Scare From Kleybanova

Justine Henin had her toughest match yet in the first Grand Slam since coming out of retirement, surviving a scare in a close 3-set match against No. 27 ranked Alisa Kleybanova.

In the 3rd round match, Kleybanova won the first set 6-3. She then broke Henin to go up 3-1 in the 2nd set before Henin went on a run winning 8 of 9 games to take the second set 6-4 and go up 3-0 in the 3rd set. Kleybanova fought back winning her serve, then breaking Henin to get back on serve 3-2. Henin then took the next three games to win the 3rd set 6-3.

Wickmayer Sends No. 12 Pennetta Home From Australian Open

Just two months ago, Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer wasn’t going to be able to play tennis all year. Now she is into round 3 of the 2010 Australian Open after downing No. 12 ranked Flavia Pennetta in straight sets.

Wickmayer grabbed the momentum in the first-set tiebreaker, winning the tiebreaker easily 7-2. She then broke Pennetta 3 times in the second set for a 7-6(7-2), 6-1 win which took only 87 minutes.

Serena Williams Seeded No. 1 For 2010 Australian Open

Serena Williams is seen here at her book signing at Harrods department store in London, on November 2, 2009. Now it’s time to put the books away and focus on tennis. Williams, who is currently ranked No. 1 on the WTA Tour is seeded No. 1 for the 2010 Australian Open set to begin Jan. 18 in Melbourne. Yes, Grand Slam tennis is about to get under way.

Tournament officials could have used a discretionary seeding to place Justine Henin in the draw, but they chose not to. So the Belgian former champion playing in her first Grand Slam tournament since announcing her return from retirement will be a dangerous threat, possibly meeting some of the top seeds in the opening rounds.