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.

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.

Petkovic upsets Wozniacki at Sony Ericsson Open

No. 21 seed, Andrea Petkovic of Germany, pulled an upset over World No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark at the 2011 WTA Sony Ericsson Open, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

It was the biggest win of Petkovic’s career. Her previous best was a win over then No. 6 Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2009.

Petkovic fired an ace on set point to end the 1st set, and another ace on match point to finish the match. She totaled 3 aces, with 4 double faults, while converting 6 of 14 break points and scoring 101 points overall. Wozniacki only had 1 ace, with 5 double faults, scored on 5 of 17 break points against Petkovic, and won 97 points in all.

Wozniacki survives scare from Schiavone

No. 1 seed, Caroline Wozniacki survived a scare from No. 6 seed Francesca Schiavone in a Quarterfinal match at the 2011 Australian Open, but prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

It was evident from the start that Schiavone came to play, and the battle was on. Everyone thought Schiavone would be exhausted from her record-long match in round four. She had played more than twice as long total match time during the tournament as Wozniacki. But she came out showing no signs of fatigue.

Sharapova suffers 4th round loss to Petkovic

Former No. 1, Maria Sharapova, was sent packing in the 4th round at the 2011 Australian Open by No. 30 seed, #33 Andrea Petkovic of Germany.

Petkovic won the match in a surprisingly easy fashion in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. This is the first time the 23-year-old Petkovic has reached the Quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament, and is the lowest ranked player remaining in the draw.

Petkovic had reached the fourth round when Venus Williams pulled out injured after just seven points, but looked right at home against a much more experienced Sharapova.

Venus Williams out with injury

No. 4 seed, #5 Venus Williams of the USA withdrew after only six minutes of play from her third round match against No. 30 seed, #33 Andrea Petkovic of Germany.

Williams, who injured her pelvic muscle during her gruelling three-set match against Sandra Zahlavova, began serving in the second night match on Rod Laver Arena, but was soon broken by a determined-looking Petkovic, winning just one point. And, having stretched and failed for a Petkovic passing shot, the multi-Grand Slam champion hobbled to her chair after the seventh point. Head in her hands, and consulting the trainer, she made the decision to retire from a Grand Slam singles match for the first time since 1994.

Sharapova survives scare from Georges in 3rd round

No. 14 seed, #16 Maria Sharapova of Russia, escaped in a three-set thriller against a determined, unseeded #38 Julia Goerges of Germany on Friday at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Final score: 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Sharapova, who won the Australian Open title in 2008, was forced to dig in deep to pull through in a match that lasted 2 hours and 29 minutes. Georges had outplayed the former World No. 1 throughout the first set and pushed her to the limit in the second.

Henin wins championship of the UNICEF Open

Justine Henin of Belgium won the championship of the 2010 WTA Tour UNICEF Open played in s’Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands June 13-19. She defeated Andrea Petkovic of Germany in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

After dropping the 1st set, Justine was down a break in the 2nd, and again trailed 0-3 in the 3rd.

After the match, Justine said, “When I was down a break in the second, I don’t think many people would have thought I could come back. It’s the kind of match you really like to win. Today was harder than my other matches, because I really wanted to win, my mind was already in Wimbledon, and Andrea played a great match. She has a good game for grass—she hits the ball really flat and hard.

Kuznetsova squeaks by Petkovic at French Open

No. 6 seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia had a scare today, and barely squeaked by unseeded No. 41 ranked Andrea Petkovic of Germany in round 2 of the French Open in Paris. Final score: 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

In a match interrupted by a 1 1/2 hour rain delay, Andrea won the first set, and was up 5-2 in the second set. Svetlana came back, but Andrea served for the match at 5-4. Andrea got up 40-love, but sent a backhand into the net, a forehand long, and a backhand wide to waste three match points. On her fourth match point, she put another backhand into the net.

Justine Henin Coming Back With A Vengeance

Justine Henin may well be back in full form after 15 months away from the tennis circuit. She is showing she still knows how to play as she works her way through the draw in the 2010 WTA Brisbane International tournament going on Jan. 4-10, 2010 in Brisbane, Australia.

Coming into the tournament unseeded, she faced a good challenge with the No. 2 seed, Nadia Petrova of Russia in the first round. Henin prevailed in a close match, 7-5, 7-5. She then took on unseeded 20 year-old Sesil Karatancheva of Bulgaria who had a two-year suspension for using drugs in 2005. Henin took her out 6-4, 6-3. In the Quarterfinals, Henin defeated 7th seed, Melinda Czink of Hungary in a very close 3-set match, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5).