Dementieva announces unexpected retirement

Olympic Champion Elena Dementieva made a surprise announcement that she is retiring at the age of 29 after losing her last group match at the year-end WTA Tour Championships in Doha on Friday. She is seen here in the photo wiping away some tears after her announcement.

The World No. 9 ranked player has given up her bid to win a Grand Slam. Since 1999, she had competed in 46 consecutive Grand Slams until she missed this year’s Wimbledon because of a calf injury. She reached the final of the French Open and the U.S. Open in 2004, but was unable to win the final match. Her career high season-ending ranking was No. 4 in 2008.

Wozniacki takes home the championship at Tokyo

No. 1 seed, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark captured the championship at the 2010 Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan, by defeating No. 7 seed,
Elena Dementieva of Russia, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Caroline had something to prove this year, because she had lost her opening matches in both of her previous appearances at this event. This year was different, as she lost only seven games en route to the semifinals, then added back-to-back three set wins in her last two matches, first defeating No. 8 seed, Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4, then Elena in the final.

Wozniacki and Dementieva set for Tokyo final

No. 2 seed, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and No. 11 seed, Elena Dementieva of Russia are set to face each other on Saturday in the final of the 2010 Pan Pacific Open being played in Tokyo, Japan.

Wozniacki withstood a late comeback in her semifinal match to defeat 8th seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus on Friday, 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4 to reach the final. Dementieva had a little easier time defeating this year’s French Open champion, 5th seeded Francesca Schizvone of Italy in the other semifinal in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5.

Stosur and Dementieva advance to meet in 4th round

No. 5 seed, Samantha Stosur and No. 12 seed, Elena Dementieva both advanced with straight-sets wins and will meet in the 4th round of the 2010 U.S. Open.

Stosur of Australia breezed through quite easily over No. 37 ranked Sara Errani of Italy 6-2, 6-3. Stosur came close to losing her 1st round match against Elena Vesnina, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-1, but won easily in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Afterwards, Stosur said: “Really happy with that win. Since my first round I think I’ve played two really good matches now. Couldn’t ask for much more… to come through and have two matches the way I have, I’m really pleased.”

Bondarenko upsets No. 8 seed Li at U.S. Open

Kateryna Bondarenko from Ukaraine pulled a huge upset in round one of the U.S. Open, defeating No. 8 seed, Na Li of China.

Li admitted she wilted in the stifling heat with temperatures peaking at around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. “From the middle of the second set I was feeling the energy was going down,” Li told Reuters. “I talked to myself to stay positive on the court but it didn’t work.”

Li looked on course for a straightforward win when she broke serve twice to win the first set. But Bondarenko, who has slipped down the rankings after a three-month absence with knee trouble, leveled the match and, as Li faded, roared through the decider to reach round two.

Pavlyuchenkova captures Istanbul tennis title

Russian third seed, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, defeated compatriot Elena Vesnina 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 on Sunday to capture the WTA Istanbul Cup title in Istanbul, Turkey.

At 19-years-old, Pavlyuchenkova is ranked No. 24, the highest-ranked teenager in the world. It was her second career championship after Monterrey earlier this season.

Pavlyuchenkova did it the hard way, taking the victory after three hours and 10 minutes on the court in the final match, rallying from 0-4 in the second set and 1-3 in the third.

Vesnina, who celebrated her 24th birthday on Sunday, came into Istanbul on a seven-match losing streak, having not won a match on the Tour since Charleston in April.

Will Serena Williams lose her No. 1 ranking at Wimbledon?

According to OnTheBaseline, the No. 1 ranking is up for grabs at Wimbledon. Serena Williams could theoretically be dethroned by No. 3, Jelena Jankovic, by her sister, Venus Williams ranked No. 2, by Caroline Wozniacki ranked No. 4, or even by Samantha Stosur ranked No. 6. Elena Dementieva is currently ranked No. 5, but is not playing Wimbledon due to an injury.

With Serena being the defending champion, she has all her points to defend. Stay tuned to Wimbledon 2010. It could get interesting!

Safina pulls out of Wimbledon

Dinara Safina of Russia has decided to pull out of the 2010 Wimbledon, following the lead of countrywoman, Elena Dementieva who withdrew because of a calf injury on Tuesday.

“I had to pull out today,” tweeted Safina on her Twitter feed. “My back injury came back and I can’t play… I tried but I can’t…sorry.”

Safina’s exit from the Grand Slam opens the way for Stephanie Dubois of Canada to enter the draw as a lucky loser.

In 2009, Safina reached the semifinals of Wimbledon before being crushed by Venus Williams of the USA in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1.

Dementieva pulls out of Wimbledon

World number five, Elena Dementieva of Russia, has pulled out of Wimbledon due to an injury. The calf injury that forced Elena to quit her French Open semifinal against Italian Francesca Schiavone will cause her to miss this year’s Wimbledon which starts next Monday.

Elena announced on Tuesday on her Website that she hasn’t fully recovered from the problem and would skip the year’s third tennis major.

Elena reached the semifinals of Wimbledon the past two years. In 2008 she lost to Venus Williams who went on to win the title, and in 2009 she lost to Serena Williams who also went on to win the title.

Dementieva retires after 1st set putting Schiavone into final

Francesca Schiavone of Italy is into her first Grand Slam final after Elena Dementieva retired following the first set of their semifinal match at the 2010 French Open in Paris.

Elena came out onto the court with both thighs wrapped, but seemed to be playing normally at the beginning of the match. With one break each, the 1st set went into a tie-break, which Francesca won 7-3.

At that point, Dementieva walked off the court shaking her head. She went up to a surprised Francesca, sitting in her changeover chair, and offered a concession handshake.