Li upsets Clijsters at Sydney

No. 8 seed, Na Li of China upset No. 3 seed, Kim Clijsters of Belgium at the 2011 WTA Medibank International played in Sydney, Australia on Friday.

It was the fourth career WTA title for 28-year-old Na, and she became the first Chinese player to ever win a “Premier” level title.

Kim, 27 years old, jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the 1st set before Na came back to win the set in a tie-break 7-3. Na said: “I was 5-0 down and saw the time, it was only 15 minutes. I thought, ‘Yeah, the fans, they pay a lot of money and the match will be over in half an hour.’ One or two points changed it, and it turned around like that.”

Clijsters and Li reach semifinals of 2011 WTA Medibank International

World No. 3, Kim Clijsters of Belgium, and World No. 11, Na Li of China, are the only seeded players to reach the semifinals of the 2011 WTA Medibank International being played Jan. 10 – Jan. 16 in Sydney, Australia.

Kim ousted World No. 10, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the quarterfinals, 6-3, 6-2. Kim has been playing well, and remarked: “I think it’s a lot to do with feeling comfortable on the surface—I think I see the ball better on the blue courts.”

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.

Serena Williams downs Sharapova

World No. 1 Serena Williams of the USA advanced to the Quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2010 by downing No. 17 Maria Sharapova of Russia.

It was a close match from the start, with the 1st set going to a tie-break. Maria had two set points in the tie-break but was unable to convert. Maria then committed a double fault that was a good foot beyond the service line. That gave Serena her third set point. She slammed an ace down the middle and the first set was hers at 11-9. Serena continued hitting booming serves and went on to win the 2nd set 6-4.

Na Li wins championship over Sharapova

On Sunday in Birmingham, England, top-seeded Na Li of China defeated 2nd seeded Maria Sharapova of Russia in the finals of the AEGON Classic 7-5, 6-1.

Maria, who had served well in her previous matches this year at Birmingham, hit seven double faults with only once ace (Na: 3 aces, 0 DFs). Na coverted 4 of 10 break point opportunities against Maria; Maria reached break point against Na only once, though she did score on that occasion.

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.

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, 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.

Semifinals Set For 2010 Australian Open

The Semifinals for the 2010 Australian Open have been set, pitting No. 1 Serena Williams of the USA against No. 16 Na Li of China. Williams leads their head-to-head match-ups 3-1. This is William’s 4th appearance in the Semifinals of the Australian Open. Each time she made the Semifinals, she has gone on to win the championship. This will be Na Li’s first appearance in the Semifinals of any Grand Slam, and was only her 3rd appearance in a Quarterfinal.

Serena Williams Squeaks Out Win Over Azarenka

No. 1 ranked Serena Williams had a huge scare from No. 7 Victoria Azarenka in the Quarterfinals of the Australian Open, but managed to pull out another amazing comeback to take the match 4-6, 7-6(7-4), 6-2.

Azarenka came out firing shots from everywhere on the court and Williams was completely on the defense, just blocking shots back, hitting many long or spraying them wide. Williams had not been broken on serve in her first four matches, 31 games. Then in the first two sets against Azarenka, she was broken 5 times. Williams looked completely disgusted the first set and a half, and the commentators described her as shell-shocked.