Zvonareva wins close 2-setter over Safarova

Vera Zvonareva, the No. 2 seed, had to fight hard, but overcame a determined No. 31 seed, Lucie Safarova in their 3rd round match Saturday at the 2011 Australian Open in Melbourne winning 6-3, 7-6 (11-9).

Zvonareva broke former doubles partner Safarova once in the first set and looked as though she would cruise to victory when she broke again at the start of the second.

However, Zvonareva seemed to tighten up toward the end of the 2nd set and she lost her serve three times in a row as Safarova recovered to send the set into a tiebreak.

Zheng advances when Wozniacki retires with injury

Fifth seeded Jie Zheng of China advanced to the Semifinals of the 2010 WTA Polsat Warsaw Open Thursday when No. 2 seed, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark could no longer continue after the 1st set due to pain from an ongoing ankle injury. The matched ended “6-3 retired”.

Caroline sprained her right ankle in the semifinals in Charleston on April 17, and has gone 2-4 since then, with losses to Lucie Safarova, Maria José Martinez Sanchez, and Alona Bondarenko. She is playing with her ankle taped.

Aravane Rezai reaches Madrid Final with win over Safarova

Unseeded Aravane Rezai of France will meet Venus Williams of the USA in the Final of the 2010 WTA Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open after defeating Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic. The match against Safarova ended after just one set which Rezai won convincingly, 6-1. Safarova could no longer continue due to a left thigh injury and retired from the match.

That was not the way Rezai would have chosen to win the match, but it placed her in the final. She should be well rested and ready to play when she faces Williams in the Final.

Venus Williams routs Shahar Peer to reach Madrid Masters Final

Venus Williams made quick work of her Semifinal match against Shahar Peer of Israel to reach her first Madrid Masters final. The match, which was over in two quick sets, 6-3, 6-0, took just 66 minutes.

Williams, seeded 4th in this tournament, has built an impressive record of 12-1 on clay this year. Earlier in this tournament, she defeated No. 21 ranked Vera Zvonareva of Russia, No. 15 seed, Francesca Schiavone of Italy, and No 8 seed, Samantha Stosur of Australia.

Venus Williams only seed in Semifinals at Madrid Open

Venus Williams of the USA is the only seed left entering the Semifinal round at the 2010 WTA Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open being played in Madrid, Spain May 8-16. Seeded No. 4, Williams will go up against unseeded No. 22 ranked Shahar Peer of Israel.

The other Semifinal match sees unseeded No. 30 ranked Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic taking on unseeded No. 24 ranked Aravane Rezai of France.

En route to her Semifinal berth, Shahar Peer knocked off No. 5 seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and No. 13 seed, Na Li.

Sharapova Ousted in 1st Round by Safarova

No. 11 seed, Maria Sharapova of Russia, was sent packing after the first round of the 2010 WTA Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open being played in Madrid, Spain this week by No. 30 ranked Lucie Safarova. It was a straight sets match for 23-year-old Safarova from the Czech Republic.

It is the first time these two have met on court. Sharapova undoubtedly didn’t like this introduction.

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.

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.

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).