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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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

The No. 5 seed, Elena Dementieva of Russia, survived a bit of a scare against No. 19 seeded countrywoman, Nadia Petrova. Final score: 2-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Both players were slowed by leg injuries which were not helped by cold and rainy conditions. Petrova was hampered by a strained left thigh, which she had rewrapped midway through the first set. Dementieva also received treatment during the 17-minute break, when a trainer taped her right thigh.

Elena hit 25 winners with 24 unforced errors; Nadia had 27 winners, with 27 errors. Elena scored on 6 of 10 break points she held against Nadia; Nadia converted only 3 of 11 break points she held against Elena.

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 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.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands celebrates at the end of her 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 match against Ekaterina Makarova in their Fed Cup singles match Sunday, April 25. Her victory kept the United States’ Fed Cup title hopes alive tying the semifinal matchup with Russia at 2-2.

That brought it down to a decisive doubles match with Mattek-Sands teaming up with Liezel Huber against the Russian team of Elena Dementieva and Alla Kudryavtseva.