In the Fed Cup semi-final Italy and France will face each other at Castellaneta Marina on July 14 and 15 (surface: clay - outdoors).

Corrado Barazzutti, captain of the defending champions Italy, chose Tathiana Garbin, Mara Santangelo, Francesca Schiavone and Roberta Vinci for the team. There will be no Flavia Pennetta since she lost to Marion Bartoli in the first round of Wimbledon.

On the other hand, Marion Bartoli won’t represent France in the Fed Cup since the captain Georges Goven turned down her request to be accompanied by her father and coach. French team consists of Amelie Mauresmo (who lost her Wimbledon crown falling to Nicole Vaidisova on Tuesday), Tatiana Golovin, Nathalie Dechy and Severine Bremond.

BTW: The Italians have had a worse Wimbledon in the singles than the Frenchwomen, with Santangelo losing to Mauresmo in the third round while Vinci, Garbin and Schiavone were all dumped out in the second round. (source: Reuters)

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Amazing Ana Ivanovic came from a set down, and a break down in the third set by saving three match points, to finally overcome No. 14th seed Nicole Vaidisova 4-6 6-2 7-5. I’m speechless!

Both Ana and Nicole are young, but they demonstrated fantastic mental strength in this match; still, Ana proved to be a bit stronger when it came to fighting off match points.

Ana has improved a lot, and we can see a major step in her becoming a mature player, both in technique and in mind. Let’s not forget that Vaidisova has also had a magnificent performance at this year’s Wimbledon, especially in the previous round when she overcame defending champion Amelie Mauresmo.

Since Ivanovic and Vaidisova are rising stars, they will definitely meet many times in the future and there will be some great rivalry if their fast progress continues.

World No. 6 Ivanovic is now only one step away from reaching her second successive Grand Slam final. The teenager from Serbia will next face No. 23 seed Venus Williams who defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3 6-4 to advance to the last four.

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After a loss to Justine Henin in the quarterfinals, injured Serena Williams announced that she pulls out of doubles.

"I've sprained my thumb and can't really hit backhands," said world No. 8 Williams.

The Williams sisters were an unseeded pair in the doubles, and the fact that they have withdrawn gives Spanish eighth seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual a second round walkover. (via Reuters)

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During Jelena Jankovic’s tough three-setter against Czech Lucie Safarova, Jankovic’s mother had to leave the players' box since she wasn’t feeling well — she has a heart condition and such a stressful match was too much for her.

Here’s what world number three Jelena Jankovic said about this:

"Watching me is not the best thing for her, although I just want to try and get through without giving her anything to worry about. She has problems with her heart and she hasn't been great for a while. She's not healthy and I want her to go and see a doctor as soon as possible. Read more »

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In a thrilling quarterfinal match, top seed Justine Henin beat seventh seed Serena Williams 6-4 3-6 6-3.

Both Henin and Williams were magnificent; we were enjoying a real battle of nerves. But after all, the better player came out as a winner. There is no doubt Serena is a tough opponent and we can’t forget her great achievements, but the one better at the moment is definitely the Belgian.

Note: I don’t think Serena was affected by her injury since she moved very well.

Justine Henin is unquestionably a favorite for the trophy. Now that she has overcome Serena Williams, probably her most difficult obstacle, she is highly likely to complete a Career Slam.

Henin’s next opponent No. 18 seed Marion Bartoli of France shouldn’t be a big challenge, despite her fantastic performance (more than anything her fourth round victory over third seed Jelena Jankovic).

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