Archive for:

Belgian countrywomen Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters are headed for a potential 4th round showdown. Both have advanced into the 3rd round, and one more win each will pit them against each other.

It would make a very interesting match, putting 8th seeded Kim against 17th seeded Justine. Both are playing in their 1st Wimbledon since coming out of retirement, and both are working on winning their first Wimbledon. They both made the semifinal in their last Wimbledon appearance, Kim in 2006 and Justine in 2007. Justine has made the final twice, but did not win either one.

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.

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.

Russia’s Dinara Safina, the former No. 1 ranked tennis player, has no set time frame for returning to competitive tennis. However, she has not given up hopes of making a return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Safina has been off the competitive circuit since the 2010 Australian Open. She had severely injured her back during the 2009 summer season, but had continued to play up through the Australian Open, when she was forced to retire in the fourth round while playing against her countrywoman, Maria Kirilenko.

Maria Sharapova had a disappointing start to the year, losing in the first round of the Australian Open to No. 58th ranked Maria Kirilenko in a battle of Russians. However, Sharapova showed better form in her 2nd tournament of the year, defeating Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden, 6-2, 6-1 Saturday night for the championship of the WTA The Regions Morgan Keegan Championships & The Cellular South Cup held in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Sharapova showed some of the form she displayed when she was on top of the WTA Tour, not losing a set in five rounds. Sharapova picked up her first title on the comeback trail after recovering from last year’s shoulder injury.

World No. 2, Dinara Safina of Russia, has been forced to pull out of next week’s Dubai Tennis Championships because of ongoing back problems.

She said on her website, “Unfortunately, I will not be able to play the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships this year because of the back injury that’s been bothering me since the end of last season. I wish the tournament the best of success on its 10th anniversary and hope to be back next year, as it’s one of my favorite events.

Thanks to all my fans for their support during this difficult period. Keep checking my site for updates on my recovery.”

Na Li posted a huge upset by defeating Venus Williams in a thrilling 3-set Quarterfinal match at the Australian Open. Li, seeded 16, was able to hold serve one more time in the 3rd set than 6th seeded Williams to take the match 2-6, 7-6, 7-5.

It was not a day to be serving. Both players struggled with serve, especially in the 3rd set. There were 9 breaks in 12 games in the 3rd set, with Li holding twice and Williams only once.

History is in the making as unseeded, 35th ranked Jie Zheng has become the first Chinese woman to reach the Semifinals of the Australian Open. She won an impressive straight-sets victory over Russia’s 58th ranked giant-killer Maria Kirilenko in the Quarterfinals of the 2010 Australian Open, 6-1, 6-3.

The 26-year-old Zheng’s service returns were fierce in the first set, breaking Kirilenko in the 4th game and then closing out the set 6-1. In the second set, Zheng pulled out to a 2-0 lead, followed by a marathon sixth game where Zheng saved several break points in a strong challenge from Kirilenko, wrapping up the 2nd set 6-3 in a match time of 85 minutes.

Unseeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia advanced to the Quarterfinals of the 2010 Australian Open when compatriot, Dinara Safina suddenly retired with an injury during the 1st set of their 4th round match.

No. 2 Safina was facing set point, trailing 4-5 and serving at 30-40, when she limped to her changeover chair for a few moments, then walked up and shook Kirilenko’s hand.

Kirilenko ousted another Russian, Maria Sharapova in the first round, and it is the first time Kirilenko has reached the Quarterfinal of any Grand Slam.

Day one of the 2010 Australian Open went pretty much according to plan with only one major upset. No. 58 ranked Maria Kirilenko upset No. 14 seed, Maria Sharapova, in a long 3-set match, 7-6(7-4), 3-6, 6-4. Kirilenko is seen here being congratulated by Sharapova after their match.

All other seeded players playing the first day advanced to the second round, including No. 15 seed, Kim Clijsters, who is one of the favorites to win the tournament after winning the U.S. Open last year in her first Grand Slam appearance after coming out of retirement.