Sixth seed Vera Zvonareva has officially pulled out from the 2009 French Open.

The Russian sustained an ankle injury chasing a ball last month at the Family Circle Cup, and we can’t say we didn’t expect her to withdraw from the French Open. However, it’s a huge shame, since uninjured Zvonareva could have done very well at the Grand Slam.

Lucky loser Katie O'Brien of Britain will take Zvonareva’s spot in the draw. (photo courtesy of Women Who Serve)

Qualifier Alexandra Dulgheru has won eight matches this week in Warsaw to claim her first career singles title in her main draw debut on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The 201st-ranked Romanian upset world No.39 Alona Bondarenko 7-6(3) 3-6 6-0 in the final of the Warsaw Open.

The 19-year-old Dulgheru became the first qualifier to reach the finals at Warsaw, and she did it by beating world No.205 Greta Arn in the first round, No.36 Sara Errani in the second round, No.95 Galina Voskoboeva in the quarterfinals and No.36 Daniela Hantuchova in the semifinals. And on top of all that she beat the clear favorite Bondarenko in the title match.

Dulgheru’s best career win prior to Warsaw was against world No.138 Olivia Sanchez at 2007 Granada.

Eighth-seeded Bondarenko was trying to win her second career singles title in her first final since 2007, which was also at the Warsaw Open. (photo via Warsaw Open)

France’s Aravane Rezai won her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, defeating world No.84 Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 7-6(2) 6-1.

Both Rezai and Hradecka were unseeded, and both only dropped one set each en route to the final.

The 75th-ranked Rezai rallied from 5-3 down in the opening set and even saved two set points down 6-5 to push it to a tiebreak, where she prevailed easily, 7-2. Rezai’s serve was broken right away at the beginning of the second set, but since then she won six consecutive games to win her first title in her third singles final.

The 22-year-old Rezai has become the first French player to win the singles title in Strasbourg, as well as the lowest ranked player to win the tournament. (source: Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, photo: Getty Images via Yahoo)

The draw for the 2009 French Open is out and here’s my analysis of contenders. I would just like to mention that despite all the facts, I'm sure we all deep inside feel that the women’s field is wide open.

Dinara Safina is my top favorite to win the title. She is coming to Paris with back-to-back titles in Rome and Madrid, plus the Stuttgart final before that (and all the three tournaments mentioned are played on clay). And not only that, the world No.1 Safina was last year’s runner up at the French Open.

The Russian is in impressive form, but she shouldn’t give herself the luxury of making matches longer than they should be (although she’s great at coming back from behind), in order to be fully fit as long as it takes to claim her first Grand Slam.

The first opponent at the French Open won’t be easy for Safina, as she’s meeting Anne Keothavong who reached the semifinals of this week’s Warsaw Open. Other big names such as Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Alisa Kleybanova, Zheng Jie, Victoria Azarenka, Carla Suarez Navarro and defending champion Ana Ivanovic are also in her quarter.

Serena Williams still hasn’t won a singles match on clay this season. The world No.2 dropped openers of Marbella, Rome and Madrid, and hence it’s hard to put her as the favorite. However, knowing her impressive resume which includes the 2002 French Open title, and her ability to show her best at majors, the younger Williams sister can never be written off.

To make things more interesting, Serena Williams is playing Klara Zakopalova in the first round, the player she lost to in Marbella in April. Serena is looking at another potential tough match in the fourth round against Flavia Pennetta.

Venus Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, and although she has never been victorious at Roland Garros, she played the final in 2002, and just like her sister Serena, she’s a threat anywhere and anytime.

Williams is the top seed in her quarter of the draw. Her first-round opponent will be fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands. In the second round Williams could meet Sabine Lisicki, who beat her en route to the title in Charleston last month. Read more »

Just as we thought Jelena Jankovic was busy training for Roland Garros, we see her all dressed up in the other side of France from Paris. For a good cause, though, The Foundation for AIDS Research.

Jankovic attended amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2009 benefit at the Hotel du Cup during the 62nd Annual Cannes Film Festival in Antibes, France. The world No.4 was giving her share, as one tennis lesson with her and one with tennis legend Monica Seles were up for auction.

Additional info: I've just received an e-mail from Michele Marie PR, and they told me that the gown Jelena was wearing was designed by Georges Hobeika, a Lebanese designer based in Beirut. (via Tennis Forum)

Eighth seed Alona Bondarenko progressed into the Warsaw Open final for the second time in her career, while sixth seed Daniela Hantuchova lost to a Romanian qualifier in the semifinals.

The world No.39 Bondarenko defeated Britain’s No.1 Anne Keothavong 6-2 7-5, and as the result shows, the Ukrainian was pushed harder in the second set. Just to mention that Keothavong was the first British woman to reach the last four of a WTA claycourt event since 1983.

Bondarenko, victor over Maria Sharapova in the Warsaw Open quarterfinals, will play world No.201 Alexandra Dulgheru in the title match. Dulgheru upset the 36th-ranked Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 6-4 6-7 (2) 6-1. The 19-year-old qualifier converted eight of 10 break points to reach the final in her WTA Tour main draw debut. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Chinese brand ANTA has officially released what Jelena Jankovic will be wearing at the 2009 French Open.

The dress looks great in this picture, with all the effects, but I suppose it will be good live too. However, I'm still waiting for ANTA to really impress me.

What do you think? (via Tennis Forum)

Maria Sharapova wasn’t strong enough to pass her third obstacle at the Warsaw Open. Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko defeated the Russian in the quarterfinals of the event.

Sharapova was victories in the first two matches of her singles comeback, but fell to the eighth-seeded Bondarenko 6-2 6-2, which we can’t say we weren’t prepared for.

It’s interesting to read Bondarenko’s opinion about Sharapova’s form after the nine-month injury layoff.

"I have played her (Sharapova) twice before her injury and I thought the match would be harder," the world No.39 said. "She makes more mistakes than before the injury… her serve was a little slower."

Despite losing, Sharapova is happy with her achievement at the Warsaw Open, and believes that she had the best preparation for the upcoming French Open. However, the current world No.126 is keeping her expectations low. (source: Reuters, photos: Ralf Reinecke)

Roland Garros starts May 24, and some players are already there, preparing for the second Grand Slam of the season.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, who will try to win her first French Open title, was seen training for the greatest claycourt tournament. Her sister Serena Williams, who won the event in 2002, was also busy trying to finally adapt to clay this season, with the help of father Richard.

Jelena Jankovic was seen practicing with coach Ricardo Sanchez, but as you may have heard, she will most probably change her coach if she doesn't make a good result at the French Open. Just to remind you, earlier this year Jankovic fired conditioning coach Pat Etcheberry.

JJ is exceptional on clay, but having in mind her recent problems with form and conidence, I don't expect her to claim her first Grand Slam title this time.

Also spotted was Amelie Mauresmo, who still hasn't got past the quarterfinals at her home Grand Slam.

Additional info: The draw will be available starting Friday, May 22. (photos via Roland Garros)

World No.12 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland has signed a sponsorship deal with Longines, the renowned Swiss watch manufacturer.

"It’s a privilege to be a Longines Ambassador of Elegance," said Radwanska, who has joined legendary tennis couple, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, in the family of Longines partners.

Longines is the official partner of Roland Garros, where Radwanska will be making her first international appearance as a Longines Ambassador of Elegance. (via On the Baseline)