The WTA Unveils it's New Logo in Style

The WTA unveiled a new logo on Monday while announcing the draw for the season ending WTA Championships in Qatar. While Serena and Venus Williams' seasons ended long ago, and surely will be missed during what could be an extremely uninteresting way to end the season, the rest of the tour's top are ready to compete.

Some showed up in style while others need a lot of help, still, with their sartorial choices. Caroline Wozniacki is the top seed and was the best dressed, wearing a Marchesa gown. Vera Zvonareva, who, oddly enough, has an opportunity to overtake Wozniacki at the top of the game this week, wore a little red number with black strappy heels. Sam Stosur wore a similarly colored dress, but this one looked like it was from Forever 21. Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva looked great, per usual, while Fran Schiavone and Kimmie Clijsters are in desperate need of a stylist, ASAP.

US Open Day 1: Fed Works His Magic Under the Lights; Venus, Roddick & Clijsters Win

It looks as though Roger Federer is making a habit of hitting outrageous shots in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Swiss hit yet another between-the-legs winner last night, against Brian Dabul, that brought back memories of the same shot against Novak Djokovic in last year's semifinals. Fed crushed his Argentine opponent 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. The world number 2's possible quarterfinal opponent, though, had much more difficulty. Robin Soderling, who hit 74 unforced errors, needed 5 sets to dismiss Andreas Haider-Maurer, a mainstay on the challenger tour. 13th seed Jurgen Melzer also needed to go the distance to earn his victory, while Marin Cilic cruised to a 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 win.

Venus Williams showed off her shiny black fringe dress under the lights with a 4 and 1 defeat of Roberta Vinci. Francesca Schiavone also impressed, surrendering just 1 game to Ayumi Morita in her opening match. Victoria Azarenka is considered a favorite to take home the title, but after a great start, bageling Monia Niculescu in the first set, the Belarusian suffered a lapse in concentration and had to go to 3 sets to advance. Both Flavia Pennetta and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova cruised into the second round with straight-set victories, and 32nd seeded Tsvetana Pironkova, a Wimbledon semifinalist, notched a 2-set win.

Andy Roddick didn't come into the Open with the preparation he would have liked, but the American made quick work of Stephane Robert, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, to move into the second round. Also in Roddick's quarter is Nikolay Davydenko, who won easy as well, taking out Michael Russell in straights. Gael Monfils and Robert Kendrick had a marathon match, lasting well over 4 hours, that included some controversy too. The Frenchman took out the crowd fave 6-4 in the fifth to advance. Other men's winners included Juan Carlos Ferrero, Albert Montanes and Richard Gasquet, while Lleyton Hewitt was upset by Paul-Henri Mathieu in 5 tough sets.

Defending champion Kim Clijsters was second on Ashe after American Melanie Oudin earned a 56 minute win. Clijsters defeated Greta Arn 6-0, 7-5 while her potential final 8 opponent, Sam Stosur, earned a 3-set comeback win over Elena Vesnina. Elena Dementieva trounced Olga Govortsova, 6-1, 6-2, and fellow Russian Alisa Kleybanova earned a 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Joanna Larsson. Former number 1 Dinara Safina's struggles continued, as she crashed out to 24th seed Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-4. Ana Ivanovic, Petra Kvitova and Gisela Dulko all triumphed as well.

Wimbledon Women's Predictions

This year's top two seeds in the Ladie's draw at the Wimbledon Championships are once again Serena and Venus Williams. years ago (8 to be exact) the world saw these two sisters contest in their first SW19 final against each other, and despite the time that has gone by, the WTA Tour has restored order. S and V may be dominate on the slick stuff, but this year the grass-court slam is no gimme for either of them. With Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters back, these next two weeks are sure to be enthralling.

1st Quarter

Once Serena Williams gets past the early rounds at a Grand Slam, where she usually isn't at her best, the world number 1 is nearly unstoppable. If you want to pull off an upset, the time to catch Serena is in the quarters or earlier (when she reaches the semis, she's won 4 of the last 5 Majors) and there are a handful of women who could be able to stun the tennis world with a win over Williams. The top seed starts with a toughie against Michelle Larcher de Brito, a teenager with heavy strokes and a grunt with an octave higher than even Serena's herself. The next potential upset is 16th seeded Maria Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion. She is slowly but surely returning to her pre-shoulder surgery form, and if she gets a hot hand, could hand Serena a defeat in their potential 4th-rounder. Li Na, who won Birmingham last week, Svetlana Kuznetsova, who's rank has fallen to 20th, and Agnieszka Radwanska, seeded 7th, all have the talent to knock off ReRe in the quarters, but lack the firepower the American has.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Sharapova vs. Daniela Hantuchova

Quarterfinals: S. Williams def. S. Kuznetsova

2nd Quarter

This section of the draw is the most wide-open one there is. None of these ladies can call themselves experienced on the grass-courts but a few of them are on the upswing. Caroline Woznaicki is not one of them though. The 3rd seed headlines this quarter but hasn't been playing her best tennis recently, and isn't very comfortable on grass. She is prone to an upset early, and I think Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a powerful young Russian, will be the one to knock out the Dane in their potential 3rd round encounter. Victoria Azarenka is another big hitter who has a certain prowess when she steps on the lawns. Despite a disastrous clay-court season, Azarenka's run in Eastbourne this week, which consisted of wins over Kim Clijsters, Radwanska and Marion Bartoli, is just the motivator that will allow Vika to make a lot of noise. Sam Stosur is coming off a brilliant run at the French, but her results at the Wimbledon warm-ups haven't been convincing, and she could suffer a letdown. Jie Zheng has experienced success here and could surprise many with a longer-than-expected stay in London.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Gisela Dulko vs. Flavia Pennetta

Quarterfinals: V. Azarenka def. S. Stosur

3rd Quarter

While the Wimbledon committee altered the men's seedings , they opted to follow the rankings in the seeding process for the women. Their decision to stray from moving women up or down accordingly has resulted in a possible 4th-round meeting between 8th seeded Kim Clijsters, a two-time Wimbledon semifinalist, and 17th seeded Justine Henin, a two-time finalist. The two Belgians will be competing in both of their first Wimbledons since their return to the tour, and both have great opportunities to pick up their first titles at the All England Club. Nadia Petrova, though, has pulled off two shocking upsets at the slams already this year, against Clijsters in Melbourne and Venus in Paris. Her possible early-round meeting with Henin could be trouble for the comeback girl. Jelena Jankovic is the highest seed in the section, and could go under-the-radar and reach the semis like she did in RG, but her game isn't fit for the grass. Vera Zvonareva and Yanina Wickmayer are potential dark-horses who shouldn't be ignored.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Henin vs Petrova

Quarterfinals: Clijsters def. Jankovic

4th Quarter

Venus Williams is hitting 30 in stride. The 2nd seed, who's birthday was yesterday, is without question the WTA's resident grass-court queen, and no one in the soft quarter she was placed in has much of a shot to dethrone her. V did succumb to her sister in last year's final, but she's had much more success at Wimbledon than any other woman in the draw, holding 5 titles. The next highest seed in the section is Francesca Schiavone, who's inspiring run at the French Open sets her up for a major letdown in London. The Italian reached the quarters here last year, but if she reached that result again this year it would be very surprising. 2007 runner-up Marion Bartoli is talented on the lawns but her current form isn't where it needs to be in order to have another magical run. Two former number one's, Dinara Safina and Ana Ivanovic, who have fallen from grace also find themselves located in Williams' section. Safina reached the semis here last year but has lost 5 straight matches since returning from a serious back injury. Ivanovic has mustered back-to-back wins in just one tournament this year, and the best part is, the two could meet in the 3rd round! With each of them playing the way they are, it will be lucky if they reach that stage, but does anyone care to guess how many unforced errors their would be in that potential encounter?

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Ivanovic vs. Shahar Peer

Quarterfinals: V. Williams def. M. Bartoli

Semifinals: S. Williams def. V. Azarenka, V. Williams def. K. Clijsters

Yet another battle of the sisters at Wimbledon. Venus takes back her crown this time.

Finals. V. Williams def. S. Williams

Stosur, Vika and Clijsters Reach Eastbourne Quarters; Simon Back to Winning Ways

Kim Clijster's return to the tour after a 6-week layoff due to an ankle injury has been a triumphant one. The Belgian looks primed for a good run at Wimbledon, as she has lost 2 games in 2 matches to reach the Eastbourne quarterfinals. After crushing Yanina Wickmayer, Clijsters handed a similar beat down to Lucie Safarova, earning a 6-1, 6-0 win in a whopping 38 minutes. Sam Stosur's win took on a different storyline, as the Aussie ousted Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 after having 3 match points.

Aravane Rezai retired down 6-2, 3-0 to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, and Victoria Azarenka punished junior Heather Watson 1 and 1. Marion Bartoli worked hard for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback win against Agnes Szavay while Nadia Petrova was crushed by Ekaterina Makarova, 6-2, 6-0. Svetlana Kuznetsova is unseeded at the Wimbledon warm-up, as her ranking has tumbled to 20th, but she pulled off an impressive 3-set victory against Sorana Cirstea, 4-6, 7-6 (6, 7-6, (4).

In the men's tournament, Gilles Simon, who had yet to play a match before his first round win over Evgeny Korolev, and the Frenchman continued his triumphant return with a a 3-set victory against Alex Kuznetsov, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (2). Top seeded Nicolas Almagro was taken off the court on a stretcher after slipping at the baseline and suffering a hip injury against Denis Istomin. The Spaniard was down 6-4, 1-0. Julien Benneteau won in straights to reach the quarters, along with 8th seeded Michael Llodra, a 3 set winner.

Schiavone Takes French with 2 Set Win Over Stosur; Becomes First Female Italian GS Winner

Maybe your favorite players are the usual champions like Federer, Rafa or Serena, but on Saturday i realized that their is a unique satisfaction in seeing someone new take the crown, especially when they're as genuinely happy as Francesca Schiavone was after her masterful all-court display in the Roland Garros final against Sam Stosur. The Italian became the first women from her country to win a Major title, and she did it in beautiful fashion, out-serving her Aussie opponent, who had an incredible run, too, beating Serena, Henin and Jankovic en route to the championship match. The 17th seed's family and friends all donned shirts that read "Schiavo, Nothing is Impossible" and the 29 year-old proved it, having never reached a GS semi before her enchanting run that included wins over Li Na, Caroline Wozniacki and Elena Dementieva.

Both women held serve until 4-4 in the first, where Schiavone made her move and began attacking the difficult Stosur kick-serve. Stosur, who looked flat and nervous throughout the encounter, dropped the set 6-4 but jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the second, before, again, nerves got to her. Schiavone's high topspin rattled the 7th seed, but it was her net game that proved a major difference, as she hit 7 volley winners to Stosur's 2. It was clear that both women being avid doubles players helped their singles immensely throughout the fortnight. The 2nd set breaker was where the most brilliant tennis was played though, as the adrenaline rushed through Schiavo's body, helping her take the set 7-2 and the match, ecstatically falling to the ground afterwards.

The Italian's display proved that the single most important thing in earning a Major title is self-belief, and it was Stosur who lacked it at times, while Schiavone had plenty. "Everybody has the chance to be who you really want to be, and do everything in your life,” said Schiavone, expected to be ranked 6th in next week's WTA rankings. “This is what has happened to me.”

When asked about match point, where the first-time champion hit a high backhand in the corner, forcing Stosur into an error, she said, "I was feeling much more energy, more and more and more. I couldn’t stop it. I really felt that was my moment, and I took it. I didn’t lose the chance."

On Saturday, it really was her moment. A moment of a lifetime.

Roland Garros Results: Stosur and Schiavone into Finals; Dementieva Retires

Although Thursday's women's semifinals were about as anti-climactic as grand slam semifinals get, a win is a win, and consequently, Samantha Stosur and Francesca Schiavone will be facing off in both of their first Major finals. Stosur took on Serbian Jelena Jankovic, the highest seed remaining going into day 11. Stosur stayed cool, calm and collected in her 6-1, 6-2 win, as she has been the entire tournament, hitting 7 aces to Jankovic's 2. Another key statistic: Stosur hit 18 winners and 16 erros while the passive Jankovic's ratio was 9 to 22.

Most impressive of Stosur's destroying of JJ was that the Aussie avoided a letdown after taking out Serena and Henin. Sammy's match was just about as long game-wise as her epid third set with Williams in the quarters. In her presser, Stosur stressed self-belief and movement (she looks like a natural the way she moves on the red dirt) as key factors in her improving:

"I think it's a lot of things. It's not just one aspect. My fitness and strength is something I've been working on for probably a good five years very seriously. That hasn't been an overnight process. And, you know, really understanding my game and how to use it and my strengths and weaknesses and all that, I've got a lot better at understanding everything that I can do over the last few years a lot better. And then self belief and starting to win big matches. So I think it's a combination of lots of things all coming together."

And the first semi was just as much, if not more, of a snooze fest as the Stosur/JJ one, as Elena Dementieva saw yet another chance to grab that well overdue first Major title come crashing down again, as a torn calf muscle that she has apparently been dealing with since the second round, forced her to retire after dropping the first set 7-6 (3) to Francesca Schiavone. Dementieva continued her aggressive play but the Italian's relentless defense and heavy topspin proved too much for the emotional Dementieva to handle.

Schiavone becomes the first Italia women in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam final, and when asked about her chances in the championship match, where Stosur will be a heavy favorite, the 17th seed responded:

"I don't know. I really don't know, but I'm really happy to be here. I will go on the court and I will fight at the best that I will do it, that I can do. Now is time to relax, and Saturday will be the time to put everything that I work until now."

Here's to hoping that the men's semis bring a little more excitement.

Roland Garros Results; Murray Fights off Gasquet, Serena, Federer and Djokovic Advance

Serena Williams kicked off her Roland Garros campaign pretty solidly on Monday, knocking off Stefanie Voegele 7-6 (2), 6-2. The number one seed was joined in the next round by a wobbly Carolina Wozniacki, who despite a serious ankle injury was able to quickly defeat Alla Kurdyatseva. 11th seeded Li Na, 8th seeded Agnieszka Radwanska and Lucia Safarova all advanced to round 2 with straight set wins, while Alona Bondarenko and Francesca Schiavone had to fight their way through 3 setters to earn their spot in the next round.

On the men's side the defending champion stepped out onto the same court that solidified him as the G.O.A.T just under a year ago, and he definitely impressed, crushing Peter Luczak 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. In Federer's quarter is Gael Monfils and Stanislas Wawrinka, both of whom advanced, Monfils in 4 sets and Wawrinka in straights. 2009 Roland Garros semifinalist Fernando Gonzalez fought off Thiago Alves in 4 sets while Spaniard Nicolas Almagro won a thriller, 6-4 in the 5th. Big servers Ivan Ljubicic, Tomas Berdych, John Isner and Taylor Dent all defeated their respective opponents in straight sets (Dent hit a 149 mph serve, a French Open record).

Jelena Jankovic continued her impressive Spring, having little trouble in defeating Alicia Molik. Elena Dementieva also looked primed for a serious run, conceding just 3 games against Petra Martic. In Dementieva's quarter is fellow Russian Alisa Kleybanova, who also won an easy 2-setter. Agnieszka Radwanksa, seeded 8th, won 6-0, 7-5 over Elena Baltacha and Sam Stosur, 7th, beat Simona Halep 5 and 1.

It was no secret that Andy Murray's struggles have been more than just a mid-season slump, but the Scot's determination (or perhaps it was his opponent's lack of endurance) was on display in his thrilling comeback 5-set win against Frenchman Richard Gasquet on Monday. A popular pick to send Murray home early, Gasquet jumped out to a 2-set lead 6-4, 7-6 (5) before falling apart and allowing the 4th seed to run away with the final 4 sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1. Novak Djokovic also struggled in reaching the 2nd round, beating Evgueni Korolev 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. Seeded Spaniards Tommy Robredo and Feliciano Lopez were ousted by in straights respectively by Viktor Troicki and Julian Reister. American Mardy Fish joined countrymen Dent and Isner in proving wrong the assumptions about the US men on clay, mounting a comeback from 2 sets to 1 down to triumph.

Roland Garros Women's Predictions

Serena and Venus Williams enter Roland Garros ranked 1 and 2, respectively, for the first time in 7 years, but that doesn't mean they are the top two favorites. Serena can never be counted out at a major, because when she wants it she goes and gets it, but it's no mystery that the American struggles mightily on the red dirt. In her illustrious career she has only won the French once, while Venus has never won it. Older sis has the best record of any woman on tour this year, at 26-4, but those four losses have been strange. Blowouts at the hands of Jelena Jankovic and Kim Clijsters, and unforced error-filled disasters against Aravane Rezai and Li Na. Justine Henin is probably the most-picked 22nd seed in Major history, while Svetlana Kuznetsova, the defending champ, could repeat or get double-bageled in round one. once again with the ladies, it's anyone's guess.

1st Quarter

So much for being the top seed, right? Serena's quarter is LOADED. Serena's chances are already greatly diminished on clay, but with a stacked quarter to get through, the tennis gods were not on ReRe's side at the draw ceremony. Here lies Justine Henin, 4-time FO winner, Sam Stosur, 2009 semifinalist, playing incredibly well this year and Maria Sharapova, 2009 quarterfinalist. Henin has obviously proved herself as the best clay-courter in women;s tennis, but she's had to win ugly a lot this year, and with motivation on her side, Sam Stosur could very well defeat the Belgian in their potential 4th round match. Of course, Henin will have to get by Sharapova, who won in Strasbourg this week, but that doesn't seem to be much of an issue. Serena will have her hands full with Shahar Peer, seeded 18th, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a big hitting Russian that could give Williams trouble. Here's your first surprise of the women's draw.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Sharapova vs. Henin

Quarterfinals: Stosur def. Williams

2nd Quarter

Jelena Jankovic headlines a tricky 2nd section that won't be easy to conquer. Agnieszka Radwanksa is a surprise 8th seed followed by Dinara Safina, who's comeback from back surgery hasn't gone as planned, causing the Russian to fall out of the top 8, to number 9. Vera Zvonareva, Alisa Kleybanova and Yanina Wickmayer all pose serious threats to make a deep run. Jankovic enters Roland Garros having had a solid clay-court campaign, reaching the finals in Rome, beating both Williams; along the way. Radwanska has been off the radar and isn't playing well enough to make any noise, and the same goes for two-time runner-up Safina. Zvonareva was impressive in Charleston, while Kleybanova can outhit anyone when she's hot. WIckmayer is tricky to figure out, but was trounced by Jankovic in Rome. Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 Roland Garros champion, also lies in the 2nd section, and impressed in Rome, but she's not ready to be a contender again. It's evident that JJ will have a difficult time reaching the semis, but she won't have to see Radwanska, Safina, Zvonareva or Kleybanova till the quarters, and once she's on a roll she's hard to stop.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Kleybanova vs. Ivanovic

Quarterfinals: Jankovic def. Kleybanova

3rd Quarter

There isn't really a nice way to put this. The 3rd quarter of the women's draw sucks. Sure, the 2009 French Open winner, Svetlana Kuznetsova, is here, but Kuzzie is so sporadic it's anyone's guess what she could do. And Caroline Wozniacki, seeded 3rd, comes in with zero confidence, with just 3 wins in her last 4 tournaments and a serious ankle injury. While Kuznetsova is underplayed, Wozniacki is overplayed, and it's coming back to hurt her. Obviously, one person from this section is going to reach the semis, but none have the current form needed to do it. So it's safe to go out on a limb and pick someone out of a hat. Fine, you wouldn't be too smart to go with Misaki Doi of Japan, but perhaps Elena Vesnina, a powerful Russian with years of experience on her side, wouldn't be too far of a limb? She'll have to get by Wozzi, Kuzzie, Li Na, Francesca Schiavone, Lucie Safarova and Flavia Pennetta, and that's no easy task, but there isn't a safe choice.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Polona Hercog vs. Safarova

Quarterfinals: Vesnina def. Safarova



4th Quarter

Like her sister, Venus got the short end of the stick with the extremely deep draw she'll have to get through. Elena Dementieva isn't playing her best tennis right now, but as a former French Open finalist and the best groundstroker in women's tennis, she'll always have a chance. Victoria Azarenka, Aravane Rezai, winner in Madrid, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, winner in Rome, and Nadia Petrova all have the game to knock off Venus or Elena. Rezai did it just last week with her straight set win over Williams and Martinez Sanchez's crafty serve and volley game sets her apart from hers peers. Azarenka reached the quarters here last year and Petrova is a one-time semifinalist. Venus could meet Petrova in the 3rd round, while Azarenka and Sanchez are slated to face in that same round for a shot at Dementieva. Whoever comes out of this section triumphant, one thing is assured: It'll be quite the thriller.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Martinez Sanchez vs Azarenka

Quarterfinals: Dementieva def. Petrova

Semifinals: Jankovic def. Stosur, Dementieva def. Vesnina

The two best women on tour that have yet to win a major will square off in the final that is guarenteed to be exciting. Both have reached a major final and lost, and a Grand Slam crown is long overdue for both. But more for Dementieva. Time for the WTA's resident screacher to lose that "best to never win a major" title.

Finals: Dementieva def. Jankovic

Madrid Results: Fed, Rafa and Venus Reach Semis, Jankovic and Murray Fall

After suffering a devastating defeat to Ernests Gulbis at the Italian Open two weeks ago, Roger Federer turned the tables on the Latvian in Madrid, mounting an impressive comeback to defeat Gulbis, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Rafael Nadal has yet to drop a set this week at the Mutua Madrilena Masters, where he is the defending runner-up, making quick work of Gael Monfils, 6-1, 6-3, to advance to the semifinals.

Just one week after receiving an absolute beatdown at the hands of Jelena Jankovic, Venus Williams had little difficulty beating one of the other hottest players on tour, Sam Stosur, who could have broken into the top 5 with a win.

“Her game plan seemed to be to just attack everything,” said Williams, following her 3 and 3 win. “She played well. But there were some key points, and at the end, from 4-3, I felt like I went, on autopilot, so it felt good.”

Venus will take on Shahar Peer, who took out Li Na in 3 sets, while Lucia Safarova, who beat Nadia Petrova 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, will face Aravane Rezai, a upset victor against Jankovic.

David Ferrer pulled off an unexpected upset by beating 4th-seeded Andy Murray in straight sets to advance to the final 4, where the Spaniard will take on Federer. Over the course of the 7-5, 6-3 win, which lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes, Ferrer proved why he is constantly a lay-court threat, while Murray showed some of his amateur tendencies that popped up in March. To complete the trifecta of Spaniards in the final, Nicolas Almagro easily defeated Jurgen Melzer, 6-3, 6-1 to earn the right to play Rafa for a finals berth.

Madrid Results: Fed, Murray and Jankovic Cruise, Nadal and Stosur Squeek By

Sorry for skipping the results yesterday. FYI- Petrova upset Serena. Soderling lost. Jankovic beat Ivanovic. Tsonga was upset. Roddick withdrew with a stomach bug. Now, you're all caught up.

Today, Andy Murray showed his most impressive tennis since reaching the Aussie Open final, crushing Victor Hanescu 6-2, 6-1. The win marked the first back-to-back W's for the Scot since Indian Wells in March. Murray told the press afterwards, "Hanescu isn’t an out-and-out clay-court player so it was a different match than you normally get, but I felt comfortable.” Jurgen Melzer has also started to get back on track in Madrid, earning a huge win in straight sets over Fernando Verdasco, 7-5, 6-3. Roger Federer has earned himself a rematch with his conqueror in Rome, Ernests Gulbis. The Swiss beat his countryman, Stanislas Wawrinka, rather easily today, surrendering just 4 games. Gulbis defeated Feliciano Lopez, the beneficiary of Andy Roddick's withdrawal, 6-2, 7-6.

Just 24 hours after Serena Williams played the longest match of her career in beating Vera Dushevina, the American was forced to hop back on court against Nadia Petrova, a scheduling that Williams greatly criticized. Petrova forced the world number 1 into an uncharacteristic 41 errors in the 3 set win. Shahar Peer advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Arantxa Parra. Jelena Jankovic crushed Anabel Medina-Garrigues 2 and 0 to book her spot in the final 8.

Rafael Nadal has had a tougher time than usual this week, as he has had to gut out tight sets despite his clay-court dominance. Thursday was no different, as American John Isner put up a valiant effort in a 7-5, 6-4 loss to the Spaniard. Nadal's compatriot David Ferrer cruised by against Marin Cilic, 6-3, 6-2, while both Gael Monfils and Nicolas Almagro advanced in 2 setters.

Sam Stosur had a much more difficult time than expected handling the clever craftiness of Patty Schnyder, but ultimately the Aussie, who has been one of the more impressive women on tour during this clay-court season, won 7-6 (3), 6-2. Li Na took out Alona Bondarenko 6-3, 6-4 and Aravane Rezai outlasted Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 7-6 (8) in an exciting match.

Madrid Results: Federer Advances, Dementieva and Wozniacki Ousted on Day 3 in Madrid

Madrid Results postings have been slow 'cuz I've been totally bogged down with school shit and all the rest....ya catch my drift?

But I forced myself to bring you all some of the happenings from Madrid so far. As I'm sure you know, Kuzzie, Maria, Dinara and Vika have all been upset. Serena won in an epic match against Vera Dushevina 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 and Venus won her opening round match on Sunday. Ferrer, Monfils (debuting K-Swiss) and Almagro all advanced and that should catch you up. Now, on to today.

Roger Federer looked better than he did last week (thankfully) in beating Benjamin Becker today, winning in 2 sets 6-2, 7-6 (4). Ernests Gulbis picked up right where he left off in his fantastic run in Rome, defeating last week's Estoril winner Albert Montanes 6-1, 7-5. Mikhail Youzhny earned a comeback victory, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 as did John Isner 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Stanislas Wawrinka and Thomaz Bellucci both won in straight sets.

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez was showered with publicity for her brilliant victory in Rome last week, but Sam Stosur has been just as impressive, and proved to the world that she is without a doubt a Roland Garros contender by ousting Martinez Sanchez in Madrid today, 7-6 (2), 6-4. 16th seeded Nadia Petrova won 6-2, 7-5 against Klara Zakopalova, who beat Safina yesterday. Shahar Peer won in a lopsided match against Alisa Kleybanova, 7-6 (4), 6-0. Li Na beat Dominika Ciblukova 7-5 in the third.

Fernando Verdasco overcame a tall task in beating 6'10 Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (6), 6-3, while Sam Querrey was narrowly defeated by Daniel Munoz- De La Nava 6-7 (3), 6-5, 7-5. Marcos Baghdatis beat Marco Chiudinelli 3 and 4, joining others such as Victor Hanescu, Phillip Petzschner and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the 3rd round.

Venus Williams didn't get the best draw in Rome, as she was set to play Vera Zvonareva, only unseeded because she has fallen out of the top 20, in the 2nd round. Despite this difficult task, Venus handled the Russian with ease, winning the late-night encounter in 2 sets. The upsets in the ladies' draw continued as Caroline Wozniacki,now in jeopardy of losing her number 2 ranking, was bested by Alona Bondarenk0 6-2, 6-3. Elena Dementieva was beaten in 3 sets by Alexandra Dulgheru, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 while Agnieszka Radwanksa, Marion Bartoli and Flavia Pennetta, all seeded in the top 15 this week, were upset.

Miami Results: Rochus Upsets Djokovic, Venus, Rafa, Azarenka and Wozniacki Advance

Olivier Rochus became the first player to bust the brackets in Miami when he took out the tournament's second seed and defending runner-up Novak Djokovic in 3 sets, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-4. Juan Carlos Ferrero defeated Daniel Koellerrer 4-0 after Koellerrer retired with an injury. The Americans didn't have a great days as both James Blake and Sam Querrey lost to Tomaz Bellucci and Jeremy Chardy, respectively.

Venus Williams debuted a new dress in her line EleVen last night in her straight set victory over Sorana Cirstea. 2nd seeded Caroline Wozniacki got off to a rocky start against Tszvetana Pironkova but recovered to win in 3 sets. Vera Zvonareva and Kim Clijsters both dominated in their matches, surrenduring just 3 and 2 games respectively. Shahar Peer advanced with 6-1, 6-0 win. Joining the Israeli in the second round were Russians Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Maria Kirilenko and Elena Vesnina.

The tournament's 4th seed, Rafael Nadal, earned a solid victory over Taylor Dent, 6-4, 6-3, while fellow Spaniards David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo also advanced. Ivo Karlovic and David Nalbandian reached the 2nd round with 3 set victories.

Last year's Sony Ericsson Open champion Victoria Azarenka kept her title defense alive with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Alexandra Dulgheru. Sam Stosur and Lucie Safarova both earned 3 set wins while Jelena Jankovic and Francesca Schiavone won with ease. Virginie Razzano, Sara Errani and Dominika Cibulkova rounded out the day's winners.

Indian Wells Results: Jankovic and Wozniacki in Finals, Roddick and Soderling Round out the Semis

In the women's semifinals at Indian Wells, good friends Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska came into their match as close friends, and left with no bad blood. After Wozniacki clinched the 6-2, 6-3 victory to reach the finals, the two congratulated each other at the net, and revealed that they made a bet that the winner would buy the loser dinner, all in good fun. “But she owes me an ice cream because she thought we were going to play first match and I thought we were going to play late,” said Wozniacki, projected to move up to 2nd in the world next week.

Andy Roddick maintained his undefeated record against Tommy Robredo on Friday when the American easily beat the 18th seed 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the BNP Paribas Open semis.“I felt like he was trying to hit his first serve a little bit bigger and win some cheaper points,” said Roddick, into his 4th IW semifinal in 6 years. “Second set, he actually served pretty well; he was hitting some aces. He wasn’t just kicking it in like he does sometimes.”

The 2nd spot in the finals went to Jelena Jankovic, who is playing her best tennis in a long time, having lost just 1 set in 5 matches thus far. The Serbian beat Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-4, and 6th seed broke away when Stosur fell apart serving at 2-2, 40-0. Jankovic took the next 5 games, and eventually the match, crediting her ability to handle Stosur's elite serve as a major factor, stating, "Samantha has an unbelievable serve, one of the best serves in the women’s game, and I was able to return a lot of her first serves," Jankovic said. "I think she felt uncomfortable because she really relies on that shot. That’s her best weapon."

The 4th anf final semifinal spot is Robin Soderling's, and deservedly so, after the Swede dominated 4th seeded Andy Murray 6-1, 7-6(4) for a chance to battle Roddick. In the 1st set, Murray was able to hold serve just once, and allowed Soderling to dictate rallies with his powerful groundstrokes. “I was hitting the ball really short, and he’s obviously got a big game and he was able to dictate all of the points,” said the Scot.

Indian Wells Results: Ljubicic, Rafa, JJ and Stosur Reach Semis

After stunning the crowd in Indian Wells with his win over Novak Djokovic, Ivan Ljubicic kept his dream run alive, backing up his win with comeback 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Juan Monaco the day before his 31st birthday to reach the semifinals. “I got a phone call from my brother just after the match. He said that in Croatian time zone I finish just like couple seconds before my birthday, so it’s fantastic,” Ljubicic said.

6th seeded Jelena Jankovic is also having a surprisingly impressive week, having little trouble reaching the semifinals, beating Alisa Kleybanova 6-4, 6-4. Lately the Serbian has had her fair share of difficulties regarding her tennis, but it seems as though she is back to her playing ways of 2008.

“I haven’t been playing well,” JJ said. “So it’s nice to get that feeling back and to be winning again and be in the end of the tournament again.”

In the night match, Rafael Nadal was electric in ousting Tomas Berdych in straights, 6-4, 7-6 (4). In his first tournament back since a knee injury hampered him in Australia, Nadal is crediting his performance thus far to his going for more on his groundstrokes, telling the press, "I’m playing a big forehand from baseline and going inside the court, being more aggressive.”

Sam Stosur has quietly been steamrolling her competition, as the Aussie has yet to drop a set in 4 matches, most recently defeating Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-3, 7-6 (7). With her result so far, she will be assured a spot inside the top 10 for the first time in her career in next week's version of the WTA rankings.

Indian Wells Results: Baghdatis Saves 3 M.P.'s, Beats Federer; Murray, Wozniacki and Roddick Advance

"It's the biggest win of my career," Marcos Baghdatis told the Indian Wells crowd after saving 3 match points to defeat world number 1 Roger Federer, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (4). Baghdatis fell to his knees and kissed the court when the Cypriot converted on match point, beating Federer for the 1st time in 7 matches. Joining Baghdatis in the 4th round are Andy Murray and Robin Soderling, both straight set winners on Tuesday. James Blake took Nicolas Almagro to 3 sets before falling to the Spaniard 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Elena Dementieva easily defeated Aravane Rezai to reach the quarterfinals, where she will play Agnieszka Radwanska, who was a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Marion Bartoli. In the 1st quarterfinal matchup on the top half of the draw, Alisa Kleybanova will take on Jelena Jankovic after both ladies advanced, beating Carla Suarez Navarro in 3 and Shahar Peer in 2, respectively.

Andy Roddick continued his impressive run through the draw as the American earned a solid 3 and 4 victory over Thiemo de Bakker. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga dropped the opening set in his 3rd round encounter with Albert Montanes, but stepped up his game to take the next two and advance. Simon Gruel withdrew from the tournament due to illness, giving Jurgen Melzer a spot in the 4th round. The final round of 16 spot went to Tommy Robredo, a 6-3, 6-0 winner over Dudi Sela.

After looking very impressive in her first two matches, Caroline Woznaicki saw her first dangerous opponent on Tuesday in the 4th round, but still advanced, fighting past Nadia Petrova 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. The tournament's highest remaining seed will play Jie Zheng in the quarters, a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (1) winner over Alicia Molik. Rounding out the final 8 were Sam Stosur, who beat Vera Zvonareva comfortably, and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who upset Yanina Wickmayer 6-4, 6-4.