Elena Dementieva was a tough opponent, she battled and kept the match uncertain, but world number one Justine Henin was simply too strong and advanced to the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart with a 6-4 6-4 victory.

Russian Dementieva had several break points in the first game, but didn’t convert them. Then, Henin went to a 5-0 lead, and when everyone thought that the Belgian top seed is impressively going to take the first set, Dementieva held two of her serves and made two breaks! Wow! However, Henin won the first set 6-4 when Dementieva double-faulted. The second set was also uncertain with Henin making three breaks, Dementieva two. Read more »

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Fifth seed Ana Ivanovic was stunned by Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2 1-6 6-3 Thursday at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

46th-ranked Bondarenko showed no signs of scare while playing against the world number five, she played as if she were a top-ten player. It’s a fact that Ivanovic didn’t play her best tennis, but I think that it’s more Bondarenko’s brilliance, than Ivanovic’s errors that decided the winner. While watching the match, I felt like watching two even players. Ivanovic had a chance, in the third set she had a break point, and she even impressively fought off two match points. However, this wasn’t enough to turn the situation to her advantage and defeat inspired Kateryna Bondarenko.

Bondarenko’s opponent in the quarterfinals is Tatiana Golovin of France. Ivanovic’s next tournament is the Zurich Open, which begins on October 15.

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Jelena Jankovic is currently playing at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart where the champion will receive a Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet (or choose the other option, $92,410 in cash).

Third seed Jelena Jankovic admitted that she's a fan of speed and one look at the car instantly motivated her to give her best and try to win the tournament, despite the fact that she arrived in Germany tired after an exhausting ten months of competition. Read more »

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Marion Bartoli and Amelie Mauresmo, the two highest-ranked French players, both lost in the opening round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Former world number one Amelie Mauresmo simply can’t put an end to the disappointing results; her nightmare has continued with the first round loss to unseeded Elena Dementieva. The Frenchwoman, who has slumped to 12th in the world rankings after an injury-hit season, lost 6-2 7-5 in less than an hour.

Earlier in the day, Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli was beaten by Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska 0-6, 6-2, 6-1. What happened to Bartoli?! After serving a bagel in the first set, she won only three games! And to make the matters worse, it was on her 23rd birthday. I would like to see some consistency in Bartoli’s career, I mean, she proved she has potential.

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Tennis exists for a long time now, since the reign of Henry VIII who built a tennis court at Hampton Court in 1530, which still survives today. However, in England women started playing the game later, in the last third of the nineteenth century when the Lawn Tennis Association was founded. At that time, tennis was a popular middle class entertainment.

Most amateur female players wore ordinary summer outdoor outfits, playing tennis before afternoon tea. The only specific garments to aid play were aprons used to hold the tennis balls and to protect the dress below from grass stains, although occasionally a ball pocket would be incorporated into an over-tunic. Straw boater-style hats, as worn on the coast or for yatching, were the preferred headwear, although bonnets and hats were also used. Read more »

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