Cibulkova dismisses Wozniacki, Pironkova sends Venus packing

No. 24 seed, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, played her heart out and narrowly defeated No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in round four at Wimbledon, 1-6, 7-6(5), 7-5.

Also, No. 32 seed, Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria easily downed No. 23 seed, Venus Williams of the USA.

In the Quarterfinals, Dominika will face No. 6 seed, Maria Sharapova of Russia. Tsvetana will face No. 8 seed, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic.

With Wozniacki, and both Williams sisters out of the picture, it sure opens up the field for the remaining players. Perhaps this is the year Maria Sharapova will add another championship to her list of titles.

Wimbledon 2010 Final – Serena Williams versus Vera Zvonareva

As happened 5 times in the last 8 years, Serena Williams will appear in the Wimbledon Final as she goes up against Vera Zvonareva.

World No. 1, 28-year-old Serena of the USA earned her berth in the Final by defeating unseeded but determined 19-year-old Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. Petra pushed Serena from the start, going up a break in the 1st set. Serena was able to break back and take the 1st set to a tie-break, which she won 7-5. The 2nd set was much closer than the score reflects with many deuce games. But Serena proved to be the tougher one in the end.

Wimbledon Semifinals – Zvonareva, Pironkova, Kvitova, Serena Williams

The Semifinals for Wimbledon 2010 have been determined.

One match pits No. 21 seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia against No. 82 ranked
Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.

These two have met once before at Moscow in 2009 where Tsvetana won 6-0, 6-2 on hard court. Tsvetana, 22-years-old, has never made it past the 2nd round of a Grand Slam before, while Vera, age 25, has made the 4th round of Wimbledon twice and the semifinal of the Australian Open once. Thus we have a much more Grand Slam experienced Vera versus a more inexperienced Tsvetana. However, the match may well be determined by who is more hungry for the win. It is new ground for both of these players, since neither has been in a Grand Slam Semifinal before. It should prove to be an interesting match.

No. 2 Venus Williams upset by No. 82 Pironkova

No. 82 ranked Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria played the match of her life and defeated the No. 2 seed, Venus Williams of the USA at Wimbledon 2010.

Venus was totally outsmarted as Tsvetana took her out 6-2, 6-3. Venus hit unforced error after unforced error as Tsvetana placed her shots well, took off pace to keep Venus off balance, and hit angles Venus could not handle.

The 22-year-old Tsvetana has never made it past the 2nd round in a Grand Slam. She has now earned a berth in the Semifinals.

Henin wins 1st French Open match since 2007

Justine Henin took a big step in her return from retirement Tuesday, winning her first French Open match since 2007 when she won the tournament for the fourth time. Her unwilling accomplice in the 6-4, 6-3 win was Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.

Henin was retired for 20 months, and while she’s seeded only 22nd, she’s considered one of the favorites for the title.

“She has all of the chances to win this tournament,” said Pironkova, who had played _ and lost to _ Henin three times before. “She still plays great. I don’t think she lost (anything) with that rest that she had. I think she is playing even better. She’s faster, and her strokes are more secure.”

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.