Tennis

Serena bows out of the Bank of the West

Serena Williams was on a roll. She got past a pesky 15yr old Michelle Larcher De Brito in a three set first round match before doing away with Patty Schnyder in straight sets in the quarter finals Friday night.

Saturday was a different story. Serena lost the first set 6-3 before retiring behind 3-1 in the second set with a bum left knee.

This means that quailfier Wozniak skated through to the finals and she will play the winner of the Ai Sugiyama v. Marion Bartoli match Sunday.

SHARAPOVA TO ASSUME SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR WORLD No.1 RANKING

Change at the top following Henin's retirement and official request to be removed from rankings ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA -

With the announcement of her immediate retirement from professional tennis, and at her request, World No.1 Justine Henin will be removed from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Rankings.

As such, the next rankings - to be released on Monday, May 19 - will see the current No.2, Russian Maria Sharapova, assume the top spot for the fourth time in her career.

Henin, currently in her 117th non-consecutive week and fourth stint in the top spot, is the sixth longest reigning No.1 since the inception of computer singles rankings in November 1975.

The 25-year-old announced her decision to retire at a press conference in her native Belgium on Wednesday. This coming Monday will see Sharapova commence her 15th career week at No.1, having first ascended to the top ranking on August 22, 2005.

After a one-week spell at No.1 she regained the position two weeks later from Lindsay Davenport, where she remained for six weeks. Sharapova was also No.1 for seven weeks from January to March 2007.

After an injury-plagued latter half of 2007, Sharapova made a major resurgence at last November's Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid, Spain, where she made it all the way to the final before narrowly losing to Henin, 57 75 63.

That form has continued into 2008, so far compiling an impressive 24-2 win-loss record, winning her third career Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, defeating No.1 Henin 64 60 in the quarterfinals, No.4 Jelena Jankovic 63 61 in the semifinals and No.3 Ana Ivanovic 75 63 in the final.

She has also won titles at the Tier I Qatar Total Open in Doha and Tier II Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, SC.

Sharapova, 21, is the first Russian and one of only 16 women to have held the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour World No.1 Singles Ranking

Maria Sharapova nets first clay court win

She can now say that she has done it all. Maria Sharapova got past Doninika Cibulkova 7-6 (7), 6-3 in the finals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island's, Florida.

Sharapova became the first female tennis player to record her third win on the WTA Tour this season. This was Sharapova's first career win on the clay surface, which should give her confindence as the French Open approches.

"You obviously never know how you're going to feel and how things are going to turn out, so I feel pretty fortunate to win my first title on clay.

I scrapped my way through those two early matches and played well in the final, and I'm leaving this tournament as the champion, which is exciting. For tennis this is a big event, so it means a lot to me to win here. It has been a really fun week. I really felt at home here." said a happy Sharapova after her title clinching match.

Cibulkova was appearing in her first career Tour singles final; her best results prior to this week were a semifinal run at Guangzhou in 2007 and quarterfinal finishes at Prague and Stockholm in 2007 and Gold Coast and Doha in 2008.

Cibulkova achieved the second Top 10 win of her career this week when she defeated world No.7 Anna Chakvetadze 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the third round; the other came against then-No.7 Venus Williams in Doha earlier this year.

Ana Ivanovic captures Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells

Ana defeated second seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3 to win the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, Ca. The top seeded Ivanovic

Ivanovic wins her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title of the year, and the sixth of her career (this is also her third Tier I singles title, after 2006 Montréal and 2007 Berlin).

she is now 1-1 in Tour singles finals this year (having finished runner-up at the Australian Open) and 6-3 in her career.

"It was such a strong field and I was still the No.1 seed; obviously more pressure comes into play. The first few matches I was more nervous but then I just started to focus on each match and not even think about who I was playing against.

I've been practicing really well and working so hard on my fitness, and that's something I tried to focus on when I was on the court."

said Ivanovic after the victory.

The WTA lanuched a new live internet tennis broadcast starting with the Pacific Life Open womens final Sunday March 23rd. More click here

Statement of Larry Scott, CEO, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in response to Monica Seles Retirement Announcement

"Monica Seles is one of the great champions in the history of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, and an inspiration and role model for millions of fans throughout the world.

No one will ever forget the fierce determination and will to win that Monica brought to the court, nor the caring and warm person that she has always been off the court.

Fans of women's tennis have no shortage of fond Monica memories and of amazing matches and rivalries that Monica was a part of.

No doubt, Monica will soon find her rightful place at the International Tennis Hall of Fame for her many accomplishments on the tennis court."

Lindsay Davenport opens 2008 with 54th career WTA win

Lindsay continued her comeback after taking time off to start a family with a season opening win at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.

Davenport's win moved her past Monica Seles and into 8th place all time in wins on the WTA Tour. She is now 18-1 in match play on the tour since returning during the 2007 season.

Lindsay made short work of Frances Aravane Rezai winning 62 62 in straight sets. "I came her to win to win the tournament - mission accomplished. I played five matches in six days and only lost one set so I'm happy with the way I played. Rezai has a big game but I always felt in control. If I could have mapped out how I wanted to start the year, this would be it." said Lindsay after the win.

Martina Hingis gets banned for drug use

The pressures of fame seems to have gotten to Martina Hingis who was suspended from women's tennis for two years after testing positive for cocaine at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.

The test results became public Nov. 1st and Hingis promptly retired. Hingis has to return 125,000 dollars in prize money. The five time grand slam winner can't play on the tour until Sept. 30th, 2009.

RACE TO THE SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS UPDATE:

SERENA WILLIAMS QUALIFIES FOR SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS

Serena Williams is the fifth player to qualify for the singles event at the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, set to take place in Madrid's Recinto Ferial Casa De Campo, November 6-11.

By reaching the final of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Williams has assured herself of a berth in Madrid with 2766 points on the Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships standings, behind Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic.

For the 26-year old American the 2007 Sony Ericsson Championships marks the seventh time in her career she has qualified for the prestigious year-ending event. "I'm delighted and surprised to have made it to the Sony Ericsson Championships," said Williams.

"When I started the year, I honestly never thought I would be in the position I am in now with a Grand Slam title under my belt and getting closer to playing some great tennis.

Serena Williams makes the field for the season final

I thought I missed my chance by not playing this summer but I have been really excited to be playing in Europe the last few weeks and I made it sooner than I thought. I am dying to visit Madrid, a city I have never been to before and making the Sony Ericsson Championships is a double bonus for me. It's going to be great!"

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 Luxembourg

Champion Ivanovic becomes singles qualifier No. 4; Chakvetadze and Serena look to increase chances in Stuttgart The Fortis Championships in Luxembourg provided eventual winner Ana Ivanovic with enough Race points to become the fourth qualifier for the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships.

This week fifth placed Anna Chakvetadze and seventh placed Serena Williams can both put themselves in a good position to increase their chances for qualification with a title run.

Daniela Hantuchova, a runner-up to Ivanovic in Luxembourg is currently placed ninth could break into the Top 8 with a title run, depending on how Venus Williams does in Tokyo this week.

The race has never been so close amongst the chasing pack for the last four spots and probably won't be decided until the final week or two before Madrid. The Doubles Team Points Standings remain unchanged amongst the Top eight.

Second placed Lisa Raymond and Sam Stosur look likely qualify very soon with an almost 600-point lead over recent US Open finalists from Chinese-Taipei Yung-Jan Chan and Chia-Jung Chuang.

The Sony Ericsson Championships will gather the Top 8 singles players and Top 4 doubles teams from the regular 2007 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season as they battle it out for the season-ending titles and a share of the $3-million prize purse.

The defending champions are Justine Henin (singles) and Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur (doubles). The Sony Ericsson Championships will be played for the first time at Madrid Arena, November 6-11, 2007.

CHINESE TENNIS STAR ZHENG JIE NAMED UNESCO-SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR PROMOTER OF GENDER EQUALITY

Grand Slam doubles champion joins global promoter Venus Williams and Tatiana Golovin in effort to create leadership opportunities for women BEIJING, China.

China's two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Zheng Jie has been named a "Promoter of Gender Equality" as part of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's partnership with UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

In this role she joins fellow Sony Ericsson WTA Tour stars Venus Williams (USA) and Tatiana Golovin (FRA), who were previously named as Promoters of Gender Equality for the program in November 2006 and May 2007, respectively.

Zheng, a winner of three singles and 10 doubles titles on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, has already established herself as a role model for women and girls in China and throughout the world.

The 24-year-old from Cheng Du, alongside compatriot Yan Zi, wrote a piece of tennis history in 2006 by becoming China's first-ever Grand Slam champions, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon doubles crowns.

In her new role as a promoter of gender equality, Zheng will raise awareness of gender equality issues at both a national and global level, and have a direct involvement in women's leadership programs to be developed in China and internationally through the UNESCO-Sony Ericsson WTA Tour partnership.

"I am truly honored to be serving as a Promoter of Gender Equality, especially being the first one from China," said Zheng. "I take the job as a role model very seriously, and I am looking forward to helping young girls and women in my country and around the world to gain better opportunities to succeed in whatever they wish to do.

Not only through my efforts as a tennis player, but also because of my passion for women's rights, I hope that I can make a difference on this very important issue.

"I am very happy to announce today that Ms. Zheng Jie is being designated as the third UNESCO Promoter of Gender Equality within the framework of the UNESCO-Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Partnership for Gender Equality, joining Ms. Venus Williams and Ms. Tatiana Golovin," said UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura.

Zhang Xinsheng, Chairman, Executive Board of UNESCO stated:

"The goals and aspirations of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, signed here over a decade ago, are still to be realized. It is my own hope that this ambitious partnership between UNESCO and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour will bring us closer to achieving them.

The efforts of China's Zheng Jie, along with Venus Williams of the USA and Tatiana Golovin of France – who are excellent role models for millions of girls and young women throughout the world – will be key factors in the successful implementation of this timely and innovative public-private partnership.

"The role of women in society is gradually improving, but there is certainly a lot more work to be done," said David Shoemaker, Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. .

Tennis marches on towards the last major of the year

They are dusting off the seats and getting ready for the masses over at Flushing Meadows in New York in preparation for the 2007 US Open.

Justine Henin (BEL) d. (2) Jelena Jankovic 7-6(3), 7-5 to claim a hard fought victory at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada.

This was Henin's second win at the Roger's Cup and her 35th win on the tour. That moved her out of a 12th place tie with Kim Clijsters and into a tie with Venus Williams on the all time singles titles list.

RACE TO THE SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS UPDATE

Monday, August 13, 2007: Los Angeles Champion Ivanovic and leading doubles team Black & Huber inch closer to qualification.

The East West Bank Classic presented by Herbalife in Los Angeles provided the finalists with more precious Race Points in their respective bids to qualify for the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships.

Tournament champion Ana Ivanovic closed the gap on current No. 2, Jelena Jankovic, who qualified two weeks ago, with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Nadia Petrova in the singles final.

Petrova also made an impressive jump from No. 13 to No. 10 on this week's Points Standings. Also of note were the doubles finalists, winners Kveta Peschke & Rennae Stubbs and runners-up Alicia Molik and Mara Santangelo who cemented their positions at No. 7 and No. 5 in the best-four Teams Race.

The rest of the chasing pack will have all eyes focused on this week's Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada, a major chance for big points on offer at the Tier I event.

With 12 weeks left in the regular Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season, the battle for the last six remaining singles spots in the Sony Ericsson Championships is gathering steam. Behind Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, the Williams sisters and Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze are the early leaders in the Top eight singles points standings.

In the Doubles Race, the year's best team and recent San Diego champions, Cara Black and Liezel Huber look a sure bet to qualify now for Madrid, with a healthy lead over second placed Lisa Raymond and Sam Stosur.

Australian Open finalists from Chinese-Taipei Yung-Jan Chan and Chia-Jung Chuang, as well as Wimbledon finalists Katerina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama lead the four-team Race in the current standings.

The defending champions are Henin (singles) and Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur (doubles). The Sony Ericsson Championships will be played for the first time at Madrid Arena, November 6-11, 2007.

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour launched a new statistic last week, entitled the "Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Power Index." This statistic represents a totaled analysis of a player's fastest shots during a match including: first and second serves, ground stroke (forehand or backhand), first and second-serve returns and smash/volley. The final Power Index "score" is an average of all six individual statistics.

Venus Williams topped the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Power Index after Week One at the Acura Classic in San Diego with 98.8 mph.

Yaroslava Shvedova surpassed that Power Index, recording 102.9 mph to top the charts at the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles.

Each player's Power Index reflects their personal best for the week (and cumulative below), reflecting the highest recorded Power Index per match and only recording matches on center court.

Tennis returns to the Farm

Once again some of the best female tennis players will descend of Stanford University for the Bank of the West Tennis Classic.

Last year top pro Kim Clijsters came away with the title in the week long event.

Many of the world top pro's make the annual trip out to Stanford to take their chances at winning the title.

The Bank of the West is part of the US Open Series and it helps get players used to playing on hard courts in preparation for the US Open in early September.

An important stop on the tour, the Bank of the West was the first tournament that Venus Williams won as a professional and she loves playing in the event every year.

Venus appears to be healthy this year, 2006 saw her miss the Bank of the West for the first time in her career due to injuries, and she looks like she wants to be a major player on the pro tour again.

Bank of the West Tickets click here

Cara Black and Liezel Huber became the first doubles pair to qualify for the Sony Ericsson Championships that will end the season.