Sharapova and Ivanovic suffer injuries in Cincinnati

Maria Sharapova of Russia and Ana Ivanovic of Serbia sustained foot injuries during the Cincinnati Open, both while playing against Kim Clijsters.

Sharapova, ranked No. 12, aggravated a heel injury in the championship match against Clijsters. “I felt some pain in my foot late in the second set which kind of scared me so I have been forced to pull out of Montreal,” Sharapova wrote on her official website. “I am hoping I just need a few days of rest.”

Clijsters had advanced after Ivanovic, ranked No. 39, retired from their semifinal matchup due to a foot injury.

Ivanovic moves to round 2 at French Open

No. 42 ranked Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, has made her way into the 2nd round of the French Open at Paris, with a victory over No. 89 ranked Kai-Chen Chang of Chinese Taipei. The former World No. 1, whose ranking has dropped steadily since achieving her No. 1 ranking after winning the French Open in 2008, won the match in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.

Ivanovic had 12 double-faults and 21 unforced errors in the match and Kai-Chen actually had more winners than the Serb but the 2008 French Open champion managed to collect five break points to keep her title hopes alive. After a disappointing Australian Open in which she was bounced out in the second round Ivanovic is hoping to make a deeper run on a surface that has proven favorable in the past.

Dementieva upset in Warsaw

Tsvetana Pironkova, a qualifier from Bulgaria, pulled a huge upset over No. 2 seed, Elena Dementieva of Russia, in round 2 of the Polsat Warsaw Open.

Pironkova, 22-years-old, played a great match, taking almost three hours to win in 3 sets against Dementieva, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. Dementieva was up a break twice in the deciding set, but didn’t manage to capitalize on the advantage.

Pironkova is currently ranked No. 101, but has a career-high ranking of No. 40. It was Tsvetana’s biggest win since she defeated then #3 Ana Ivanovic in the 2nd round in Rome in 2008, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez wins championship over Jankovic

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain holds her championship trophy after defeating Jelena Jankovic in the final of the 2010 WTA Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Italy.

It was the biggest title of her career for unseeded Martinez Sanchez, currently ranked 26th. On her way to the final, she defeated No. 2 ranked Caroline Wozniacki in the 3rd round, the No. 8 seed, Lucie Safarova in the Quarterfinals, and former World No. 1, Ana Ivanovic in the Semifinals.

Kuznetsova, Safina, Azarenka, Dementieva, Wozniacki, Radwanska among top 10 seed upsets in Rome

Maria Kirilenko of Russia is making her way through the draw at the 2010 WTA Internazionali BNL d’Italia currently being played May 2-9 in Rome, Italy. In reaching the Quarterfinals, she knocked off No. 5 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in round 2. In round 3, she defeated Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. Kirilenko now faces No. 1 seed, Serena Williams of the USA in the Quarterfinals.

Another big upset in Rome was achieved in round 2 by Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania who defeated No. 3 seed, Dinara Safina of Russia, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1. Dulgheru was then ousted by No. 14 seed, Nadia Petrova of Russia, 0-6, 6-3, 2-6.

Sharapova, Safina, and Serena Williams Drop Out of Sony Ericsson Open

Two of the top Russian tennis players in the world, Maria Sharapova and Dinara Safina, plus the current No. 1 ranked player in the world, Serena Williams of the United States, have all withdrawn from the 2010 WTA Sony Ericsson Open running in Miami, Florida, USA on March 23 – Apr. 4 because of injuries.

Sharapova, who won earlier this year in Memphis and was looking forward to playing in Miami for the first time since 2007, was forced to withdraw after an MRI revealed a bone bruise on her right elbow. She is expected to miss 3-6 weeks of competition.

Henin And Ivanovic Join Early Round Losers At Indian Wells

Favorites Justine Henin of Belgium and Ana Ivanovic of Serbia both became victims of the 2nd round exit-disease, leaving fans to wonder why? What happened? How could that be?

Ivanovic lost to 19 year-old Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, while Henin fell victim to Gisela Dulko of Argentina in a see-saw battle 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.

Venus Williams Defeats Clijsters to win Billie Jean King Cup

The Billie Jean King Cup in the BNP Paribas Showdown took place on Monday night in New York, and the winner is seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, who defeated Kim Clijsters 6-4, 3-5, 7-5.

The event began with the one-set, no-ad semifinals played at the Madison Square Garden. Kim Clijsters defeated Serena Williams’ replacement Ana Ivanovic 7-2, while Venus Williams took care of Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4.

Ivanovic Will Wear Adidas Forever

Serbian tennis beauty, Ana Ivanovic, will be wearing adidas products for a long, long time after extending her agreement with German sportswear brand Adidas AG for the remainder of her tennis career and beyond..

The twenty-two year old former Roland Garros champion has also relaunched her personal website which, according to web traffic monitor Alexa, is the most-visited official website of any sportswoman. Her website has been updated with a brand new look, feel and plenty of additional content.

Dulko Sends Ivanovic Off The Court In Tears

Popular Serbian tennis star, Ana Ivanovic , left the court in tears today at the 2010 Australian Open after losing a heart breaker in three sets to Argentinian Gisela Dulko 6-7 (6-8), 7-5, 6-4.

Ivanovic was pitted against No. 36 ranked Dulko in a 2nd round match. It was an early exit for the 20th seed, Ivanovic, who continues to struggle with her serve, having to constantly re-toss the ball and serving far too many double-faults. Ivanovic won the French Open in May 2008 and was world No. 1 a month later. However, she had an up-and-down year in 2009 while struggling with some injuries.