Dementieva into semifinals over Petrova

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.

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.

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.

U.S. Seals Berth in Fed Cup Final

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.

Serena Williams Named Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Player of the Year

Serena Williams of the USA was voted the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s 2009 Player of the Year for the third time in her career. She was announced as the winner at the annual Player Awards during a special ceremony at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida. It is ironic that Serena isn’t even playing the the Sony Ericsson Open this year due to injuries. Serena received the award previously for the 2002 and 2008 seasons.

(See other awards later in this article.)

Henin Cruises Over Dementieva at Sony Ericsson Open

Still quite fresh out of retirement, Justine Henin of Belgium continued her dominance over No. 6 ranked Elena Dementieva of Russia in the 2nd round of the 2010 WTA Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida, USA. It was a convincing straight sets pounding, 6-3, 6-2.

Henin didn’t even concede a break point in the first set and broke three times in the second to win in a little under 90 minutes.

Henin came into the tournament as a wildcard, playing in her first Sony Ericsson Open since coming out of retirement this year.

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.

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.

Dementieva Downs Safarova For Championship

No. 1 seed, Elena Dementieva of Russia, defeated unseeded Czech, Lucie Safarova, in a close 3-set match to win the championship of the GDF Suez tennis tournament. No. 7 ranked Dementieva dropped a close first set in a tie-break, 6-7 (5-7), but rallied to take the final two sets 6-1, 6-4 over No. 39 ranked Safarova.

It was somewhat of a repeat of her semifinal win over American Melanie Oudin where Dementieva also dropped the first set before rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win.

Dementieva Seeded No 1 at WTA Open GDF Suez

No. 7 ranked Elena Dementieva of Russia is seeded No. 1 for the $700,000 WTA Open GDF Suez being played in Paris, France, February 8-10, 2010. After a 1st round bye, Dementieva will take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia who was a 1st round winner over Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic.

The top seeds include: