Hi dear readers,

I’ll be taking just a few days off, four I think, to recuperate in one mountain in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I’m parting in minutes, literally. All your e-mails and comments will certainly be answered when I come back.

I hope you were enjoying my coverage of the 2009 Australian Open. I'm sorry I probably won't be able to write about the singles final, but you can certainly discuss it in the comments. However, I'll enjoy watching it in some idyllic cottage covered with snow. Yay!

See you in a few days!

Marija

Venus and Serena Williams won their eighth Grand Slam doubles title with victory at the 2009 Australian Open.

The sisters claimed their third doubles trophy in Melbourne, by defeating Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-3 6-3.

Venus and Serena breezed through the first set. In the second set there was more fight as the pairs exchanged breaks six times in nine games before the Americans came through.

"I'd like to thank Serena for being the best partner," said Venus. "I wouldn't want to play with anyone else. She's amazing."

In singles, Serena Williams is to play the final against Dinara Safina, while the older sister Venus got knocked out in the second round. (source: BBC, photo: Getty Images)

By reaching the singles and doubles finals at the 2009 Australian Open, world No.2 Serena Williams broke golf star Annika Sorenstam's record for career prize money by a female athlete with nearly $23 million.

Even if Williams is to lose both championship matches, she would leave Australia with career earnings of about $22.7 million, overcoming Lindsay Davenport, who used to hold the record in women's tennis, by more than $500,000, and Sorenstam's total by more than $150,000.

Williams’ first check was worth $240, she earned it at an event in Canada in 1995:

It's amazing how much women's tennis has grown since I joined the tour 14 years ago.

If Williams wins two Australian Open championships this week, her career earnings will reach more than $23.5 million. In singles she’s looking for her 10th Grand Slam title in a clash with Dinara Safina, while in doubles, along with her sister Venus Williams, she faces Daniela Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama. (source: ESPN, photo: Tennis Channel)

Nine-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams will meet the French Open runner-up Dinara Safina in the final of the 2009 Australian Open.

Williams put Elena Dementieva's 15-match winning streak to an end, defeating the Russian 6-3 6-4 in the semifinals. In-form Dementieva had been undefeated this year and she even beat Williams two weeks ago in Sydney, plus, the Russian won their last three meetings.

Despite everything, powerful Williams can always step up on Grand Slam stage and keep her cool. Dementieva double-faulted eight times, while Williams made no double faults.The American hit 27 winners – including 10 aces – to 18 winners from the Russian. She even rallied from behind in the second set, trailing 3-0 before winning six of seven games. Read more »

Serena Williams is aiming high, wanting to win a Golden Globes award for her writing skills. Sorry Serena, but as good a tennis player you are, you are that bad a writer. Everyone, remember Serena's famous love poem?

The world No.2 revealed she’s serious about her writing career, and is even reading some manual on how to write a TV drama.

Off the court I have a new goal. I love writing, and for quite some time now I have wanted to write a screenplay. Before, I wanted to write a script for a movie, but now my goals have changed. I have decided I would love to write a "dramedy" — a mixture of a comedy and a drama. I think my goals changed because of my recent obsessions with Desperate Housewives, Sex and the City and Lipstick Jungle. I spend most of my spare time on my HP computer surfing the Internet. I figured I should trade in my remarkable ability to waste time into my ability to write. I have nothing to lose. Don't laugh, because one day I will be at the Golden Globes accepting an award. I am currently reading this booked called Writing a TV drama Series. Venus bought it for me! I'm so excited!!!

I see she's really serious. Plus, remember that after the US Open there was a piece of news that Serena was reportedly about to publish her memoir? (via Down the Line, photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Serena Williams crashed the Russians' party and put an end to the possibility of a Russian full house in the Australian Open semifinals by coming back from a set down to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Eighth seed Kuznetsova was leading 7-5 5-3, but then Williams’ well-known aggression returned and she won 10 of the last 11 games of the match, earning a 5-7 7-5 6-1 victory.

Williams, the second seed, joins Olympic singles medalists Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva and Vera Zvonareva in the final four. Her next opponent will be Dementieva, who earlier beat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 6-2. (photo by our reader Jacob)

Fourth seed Elena Dementieva is on fire and not only because of the scorching heat troubling players in Melbourne. The Russian has remained undefeated this season seeing off Spanish world No.46 Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 6-2 to move into the Australian Open semifinals.

Dementieva was too dominant in the first four games with Suarez Navarro winning only two points. The Spaniard then improved her performance, and the sixth game featured as much as 11 deuces, but Dementieva managed to hold her serve, and soon she took the first set 6-2.

Dementieva won the second set with the same score, closing out the victory on her first match point. Suarez Navarro, who upset Venus Williams in the second round, converted none of her ten break points during the quarterfinal against Dementieva.

By reaching her second career Grand Slam quarterfinal, Suarez Navarro is projected to vault the into the Top 30 for the first time in her career. The world No.4 Dementieva could become top-ranked player in the world if she wins the 2009 Australian Open singles title or if she reaches the finals but Dinara Safina does not also reach the finals.

Dementieva’s next opponent will be either Svetlana Kuznetsova or three-time Australian Open champion Serena Williams. The other semifinal is set; it will feature Vera Zvonareva and Dinara Safina. Notice, we’re having three Russians in the semis. (photo: Getty Images)

Third seed Dinara Safina ended Jelena Dokic’s never-to-be-forgotten fairytale to reach the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open. Score: 6-4 4-6 6-4.

I am sorry that Dokic lost, because she clearly had a chance to win. On the other hand, I’m happy the match was a close three-setter and Dokic’s extraordinary Australian Open run ended in style. Safina deserved to win, and I’m looking forward to watching her play against fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals.

Safina got to a 2-0 lead in the first set, but in the sixth game Dokic managed to return that one break. At 4-4, Dokic’s serve was broken again, and Safina quickly served out for the set in the following game.

Dokic won the second set after many ups and downs. Most notably, she didn’t win the set on her own serve at 5-4, but Safina lost the following game, handing Dokic the win by double-faulting.

In the third set Safina established an early lead, 2-0, but later in the set Dokic leveled at 4-4, and even earned two successive break points in the following game. However, the world No.3 Safina won the next two games to reach her third Grand Slam semifinal.

Dokic, currently ranked 187th in the world will move into the Top 100 when the new rankings are released. I can’t wait to watch her showing her heart of a champion in more tournaments.

As for Safina's match-up with Zvonareva, Zvonareva won their last three encounters, and all the three took place last year, on hard surface, while Safina leads their overall head-to-head record 5-4. (photos: Getty Images)

The quarterfinal clash between Vera Zvonareva and Marion Batoli was much shorter than expected, as the Russian seventh seed eased past the No.16 seed from France 6-3 6-0.

This match can easily be summed up: Bartoli established a 3-1, and after that Zvonareva won all the following games. Spectacular Bartoli sent home top seed and world No.1 Jelena Jankovic in the previous round, but was a huge disappointment against Zvonareva.

Zvonareva has now reached her first semifinal of a Grand Slam and to make things even better, she hasn’t lost a set at the 2009 Australian Open yet, while as much as four sets she has won 6-0.

Zvonareva will next face the winner of the Dinara Safina vs. Jelena Dokic match. (photo: Getty Images)

Maria Sharapova’s injury layoff has been too long and all of us impatient to see the Russian play again, can hope to watch her at the Open GDF SUEZ in Paris.

The indoor event starts February 9th, and Maria Sharapova is occupying one spot in the main draw. Have a look at the list of 24 players who are expected to play at the 17th Open GDF SUEZ. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)