Zvonareva vs. Wozniacki in semifinal

No. 7 seed Vera Zvonareva will face No. 1 seed, Caroline Wozniacki in one of the semifinals of the 2010 U.S. Open.

This is Zvonareva’s first time in the semifinals, having never made it past the 4th round in seven tries, while Wozniacki was a finalist here last year on her third try.

Zvonareva defeated 31st seed, Kaia Kanepi 6-3, 7-5 to reach the semifinal. Wozniacki continued her winning form downing Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 7-5. Wozniacki hasn’t dropped a set nor played a tie-break in her first five matches, allowing just three games in her first three matches. Zvonareva has struggled a little more, surviving two tie-breaks in her matches.

Kim Clijsters vs. Venus Williams in semifinal

No. 2 seed and defending champion Kim Clijsters will face No. 3 seed Venus Williams in one semifinal at the 2010 U.S. Open.

Both Clijsters and Williams have two U.S. Open titles to their name. Clijsters has won the last two times she played here, in 2005 and then again after coming out of retirement last year in 2009. Williams won in 2000 and 2001, but has struggled in the past years here.

However, Clijsters was really out of form for much of her 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 win over fifth seed Samantha Stosur in the last round on Arthur Ashe court, but found just enough composure to emerge victorious for the 19th time in a row at Flushing Meadows.

Venus Williams reaches 4th round with easy win over Minella

Venus Williams of the USA cruised easily through her 3rd round match against Mandy Minella on Friday at the 2010 U.S. Open. It was the 12th time in 12 trips that Venus reached the 4th round at Flushing Meadows.

The No. 3 seeded Williams easily eliminated the 185th-ranked qualifier of Luxembourg 6-2, 6-1. She won 18 of 21 points at the net and finished with a 29-5 edge in winners. She will, however, have a more serious test in the fourth round against 16th-seeded Shahar Peer, who beat 19th-seeded Flavia Pennetta, 6-4, 6-4 in round 3.

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.

Wozniacki seeded No. 1 at Open; Clijsters No. 2

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark is seeded No. 1 at the U.S. Open, followed by No. 2 Kim Clijsters of Belgium.

It is the first time Wozniacki was seeded No. 1 at a Grand Slam tournament, a spot which she filled in after world No. 1 Serena Williams of the U.S.A. pulled out of the tournament, saying she still is recovering from surgery to repair cuts on her right foot.

Wozniacki, ranked No. 2 behind Williams by the WTA, was the runner-up at Flushing Meadows last year and is the first woman since 2003 to be seeded No. 1 at the U.S. Open without already having won a major championship.

Venus and Serena Williams fined $4,000 each for missing press conference

Serena and Venus Williams were each fined $4,000 at Wimbledon for skipping a news conference after their loss in the doubles quarterfinals.

Serena said Thursday she is “shocked to hear” about the penalty, adding she and her sister rarely speak to the media after Grand Slam doubles matches other than finals.

Serena and Venus were the doubles top seeds at Wimbledon. They lost to Russians Vera Zvonareva and Elena Vesnina in three sets Wednesday, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

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.

Venus Williams cruises into 4th round

Five-time Wimbledon champion, and current World No. 2, Venus Williams, advanced to the 4th round of Wimbledon 2010 without really being challenged.

Her victims have been , 6-3, 6-2, Ekaterina Makarova, 6-0, 6-4, Alisa Kleybanova, 6-4, 6-2.

Venus’ next opponent will be No. 92 ranked Jarmila Groth.

Venus has had a rather easy draw. Looking ahead if she wins her next two matches, she could face Jelena Jankovic, Kim Clijsters, or Justine Henin in the semifinals.

Will Serena Williams lose her No. 1 ranking at Wimbledon?

According to OnTheBaseline, the No. 1 ranking is up for grabs at Wimbledon. Serena Williams could theoretically be dethroned by No. 3, Jelena Jankovic, by her sister, Venus Williams ranked No. 2, by Caroline Wozniacki ranked No. 4, or even by Samantha Stosur ranked No. 6. Elena Dementieva is currently ranked No. 5, but is not playing Wimbledon due to an injury.

With Serena being the defending champion, she has all her points to defend. Stay tuned to Wimbledon 2010. It could get interesting!

Safina pulls out of Wimbledon

Dinara Safina of Russia has decided to pull out of the 2010 Wimbledon, following the lead of countrywoman, Elena Dementieva who withdrew because of a calf injury on Tuesday.

“I had to pull out today,” tweeted Safina on her Twitter feed. “My back injury came back and I can’t play… I tried but I can’t…sorry.”

Safina’s exit from the Grand Slam opens the way for Stephanie Dubois of Canada to enter the draw as a lucky loser.

In 2009, Safina reached the semifinals of Wimbledon before being crushed by Venus Williams of the USA in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1.