Clijsters wins year-end championship in Doha over Wozniacki

Kim Clijsters of Belgium defeated the new World No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, to win the year-ending championship in Doha, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

Clijsters’s victory earned her a fifth title of the year – one less than Wozniacki’s tour-best half-dozen – and 40th of her career and solidified her season-ending ranking of No.3 in the world behind the Dane and Russian Vera Zvonareva

Wozniacki wins championship at Beijing

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark placed an explanation mark Monday on her newly acquired World No. 1 ranking by winning the championship at the China Open in Beijing over No. 4 ranked Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

The victory was sweet revenge for the top-seeded blonde Dane, who lost to second seed Zvonareva in the semi-finals at the US Open a month ago.

The two delighted the crowd with ferocious baseline rallies throughout the two-hour match which was postponed from Sunday because of rain. Wozniacki was a little tentative at the start of the match but stormed back to reel off five games and take the first set.

Serena Williams pulls out of China Open, may lose No. 1 ranking

World No. 1 Serena Williams of the USA has pulled out of yet another tournament, the China Open in Beijing while she continues to recover from surgery on her right foot. The injury will keep her from competing at the Pan Pacific Open and China Open tournaments over the next two weeks.

At the beginning of the week, the 13-time Grand Slam champion revealed to fans on her website that she had stopped wearing a protective boot around her injured foot. “While I have continued to make progress in the recovery of my foot injury, unfortunately I am still not ready to compete at the upcoming Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and China Open in Beijing,” Williams said in a statement.

Serena Williams pulls out of Pan Pacific Open. Surprised?

Tournament organizers say top-ranked Serena Williams has pulled out of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo scheduled for Sept. 26-Oct. 2.

Most of us are probably not surprised this time, since this is the fifth tournament Serena has missed since cutting her foot on some glass in an accident at a restaurant back in July. It doesn’t seem to really be news anymore when she pulls out of a tournament. Many don’t expect her to play. It will be news if she ever returns to action.

Clijsters claims her third U.S. Open Title

Kim Clijsters claimed her third U.S. Open Title today in convincing fashion, defeating Vera Zvonareva in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1.

Kim served to open the match. Both players held serve for the first five games, with Kim holding only a slight edge in the quality of play, which was high.

Kim held serve at love in the 5th game, to make the score 3-2. When Vera served, she put the ball into the net with a forehand at 30-40 to bring up the first break point, the sent the ball long with a backhand to give Kim the break.

Clijsters defeats Venus Williams for spot in U.S. Open Final

Defending champion Kim Clijsters reached the final again at the U.S. Open by defeating the No. 3 seed and 2-time U.S. Open champion, Venus Williams 4-6, 7-6(7-2), 6-4.

Kim won her 20th straight U.S. Open match in the 2-hour, 23-minute semifinal match at the National Tennis Cernter in New York. She knocked off Venus last year in the fourth round of the U.S. Open and then beat her sister in the semifinals when Serena Williams was given a point penalty to end the match after berating an official over a foot-fault call.

Zvonareva downs Wozniacki for berth in U.S. Open Final

Seventh seed Vera Zvonareva from Russia pulled a huge upset by defeating No. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.

With the win, Vera has reached her second successive Grand Slam final, the last at Wimbledon where she lost to Serena Williams.

While everyone has been keeping an eye on Caroline, Vera has been doing just as well, having yet to lose a set in the tournament. Caroline also had not dropped a set in reaching the semi-finals and had only lost 17 games in total, but was immediately in trouble in this match, having to save two break points in the opening game of the match.

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.

Top-seeded Jankovic ousted by qualifier Benesova

Qualifier Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic ousted top-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia Tuesday night in the 2nd round of the 2010 WTA Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada.

This win over No. 3 ranked Jankovic in straight sets, 7-6(3), 6-3, was the biggest victory of Benesova’s career. After the match she said: “It was almost a perfect match for me… I was in the zone and focused on my game.” Her previous best win was over then No. 10 ranked Vera Zvonareva in 2005.

Jankovic has played only four matches in three tournaments this month after missing two weeks with an ankle injury she claims is completely recovered.

Serena Williams downs Zvonareva for 4th Wimbledon Championship

Serena Williams of the USA successfully defended her title at Wimbledon by defeating Vera Zvonareva of Russia at Wimbledon 2010 on Saturday, 6-3, 6-2.

World No. 1 Serena kept the No. 21 seed, Vera, on the run throughout the 1st set, breaking serve to go up 5-3, then holding to take the set 6-3.

Serena broke Vera’a serve again in the 1st game of the 2nd set. Vera later double-faulted game-point to go down 1-4. Both held serve, and Serena served it out, taking the match on her 1st championship point.