Vera Zvonareva has been named a "Promoter of Gender Equality" as part of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's partnership with UNESCO.

Zvonareva’s role will be to raise awareness of gender equality issues, and have a direct involvement in current and future women's leadership programs to be developed through the UNESCO-Tour partnership.

Here's what the world No.6 Russian said about the honor:

I think that the UNESCO-Sony Ericsson WTA Tour partnership is incredibly important and this is a role that I value highly and will work extremely hard in helping young girls and women all around the world to gain better opportunities to succeed in whatever they wish to do. In particular I very much believe in the importance and value of education and the rights of all women and girls to have equal access to it.

Other WTA players that already have that role are Venus Williams, Tatiana Golovin and Zheng Jie, as well as Tour founder Billie Jean King, who was named "Global Mentor for Gender Equality" in November last year. (source: Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, photo: Stephane Martinache)

Top seed Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, who was aiming for her fourth Strasbourg title and third consecutive there, pulled out from the claycourt event due to a lower back injury.

Medina Garrigues lost the first set 6-4 to Kristina Barrois of Germany, and then withdrew from that second-round match. (photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Maria Sharapova’s return to competitive tennis is progressing very well, as the Russian comfortably defeated Darya Kustova of Belarus 6-2 6-0 to win the second singles match she played after the nine-month injury layoff and reach the quarterfinals of the Warsaw Open.

The 22-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion showed signs of her glory, playing much more consistently than in the first-round three-setter against Italy's Tathiana Garbin.

Sharapova will next have a stiffer test, as she’ll fight eighth seed Alona Bondarenko for a place in the semifinals of the Warsaw Open.

Additional info: Sharapova is expected to play Roland Garros, and then to continue her comeback at the June 8-14 AEGON Classic in Birmingham, which will be her preparation for grasscourt Wimbledon. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

The only seeds playing on the Warsaw’s clay on the second day of the Premier-level tournament survived their first-round opponents.

As the first round came to a conclusion, No.5 seed Sara Errani of Italy rallied from 4-2 and 5-3 down in the third set to edge qualifier Greta Arn 6-2 1-6 7-6(2), while No.6 seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia came from 6-3 3-1 down to beat Nuria Llagostera Vives 3-6 6-3 6-3.

Former world No.4 Jelena Dokic, now ranked 72nd, still hasn’t added up to her more than sensational run to the Australian Open quarterfinals. Since then, the Australian hasn’t made a better result than the second round of Miami, and today at Warsaw Open she lost in the first round to qualifier Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-4 6-3.

The entire second round will be played on Wednesday, and the most popular participant at the tournament, Maria Sharapova, will have a first career meeting with lucky loser Darya Kustova. Sharapova will play only her second singles match after a nine-month injury layoff. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Today at Warsaw Open, Maria Sharapova was playing her first singles match since August 2008 and the much-missed three-time Grand Slam champion won 6-1 6-7(6) 6-3 against Tathiana Garbin of Italy.

The 22-year-old Russian has seen her world ranking slump to No.126 during her absence because of a shoulder injury. It wasn't too encouraging, but even today she wore a criss-crossed bandage on her right shoulder.

Sharapova secured her place in the second round of the claycourt tournament despite being taken to the deciding set. Wild card Sharapova looked well on her way to win the match, having four match points at 5-3 and 40-0 in the ninth game of the second set, but she allowed the 68th-ranked Garbin to extend the set and take the tiebreak 8-6. However, Sharapova had energy left and even came back from 3-1 down in the decider to eventually seal victory.

Sharapova’s opponent in the second round of the Warsaw Open was expected to be top seed Caroline Wozniacki, but the Dane has withdrawn today with back injury.

"I really wanted to play here in Warsaw. I know I have a lot of polish fans but I have had this back injury for two weeks," said Wozniacki. "The physiotherapist told me that if I want to be able to accomplish anything at the French Open I have to take a break so that my condition does not get any worse."

Sharapova’s next opponent will be one of the lucky losers: either Lenka Tvaroskova or Darya Kustova.

By the way, as always with Maria, we have to mention her outfit. I like this one, too. The color reminds me of spring and summer fruits and ice-cream. The design is also cute. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Retired former world No.1s Kim Clijsters and Steffi Graf played exhibition matches together with ATP stars Andre Agassi and Tim Henman to officially celebrate the new retractable roof over Wimbledon's Centre Court. The event was called A Centre Court Celebration and the new roof was today used for the first time.

Clijsters, who retired in May 2007 but is expected to return to the sport competitively in August, beat Graf in singles 6-4. Graf is not contemplating a comeback, but she said she loved being back on Centre Court ten years after her last visit.

In doubles, Tim Henman and Kim Clijsters defeated the husband and wife duo 7-6. In men’s singles, Agassi beat Henman 6-4.

Additional info: The much-needed roof takes between eight and nine minutes to close. (source: Wimbledon)

As you know, Maria Sharapova is making her long-awaited comeback from shoulder injury at the May 18-23 Warsaw Open. It’s cute to see the Russian so determined that she’s even training in rain.

Sharapova will play her first competitive singles match since last August. She played doubles with Elena Vesnina at this year’s Indian Wells, but lost in the opening round already.

In the first round of the Warsaw Open, wild card Maria Sharapova will face Tathiana Garbin. Should she beat Garbin, in the second round she will probably play top seed Caroline Wozniacki, runner-up today at Madrid Open. (photos via Warsaw Open)

World No.1 Dinara Safina solidified her position at the top of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings, as well as her role of the favorite for winning upcoming Roland Garros, with a 6-2 6-4 victory over ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki in the Madrid Open final.

The top-seeded Safina broke the 19-year-old Wozniacki’s serve three times in the first set and early in the second to storm to her 11 career title and second successive title after winning in Rome last week.

The 23-year-old Russian will head to the French Open, where she was a runner-up to Ana Ivanovic last year, on a 10-match winning streak.

Safina has earned €620,000 by winning the Premier-level claycourt event in Madrid, while Wozniacki, who will from tomorrow be ranked 10th in the world, took home €310,000. (photo Getty Images via Yahoo)

Top seed Dinara Safina and ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki will meet in the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open final to play each other for the first time.

The world No.1 Safina defeated Patty Schnyder 6-4 6-2 in Madrid semifinals. Schnyder had defeated two Top 10 opponents in Madrid, No.10 Nadia Petrova in the third round and No.4 Jelena Jankovic in the quarterfinals, but she fell to Safina, who has moved into her third straight final, and will be going for her second straight title.

This week in Madrid, Safina has reached her 12th final in 20 tournaments. Also, since ascending to the top of the rankings, the Russian has posted a 13-1 record.

In the first semifinal of the day, Caroline Wozniacki beat Amelie Mauresmo 7-6(1) 6-3.

The 19-year old Wozniacki, who has since May 2008 played more matches at Tour level events (including Fed Cup) than any other player, will become the first Danish WTA player to reach the Top 10. She can even climb to No.9 if she defeats Safina in the final. Safina will stay No.1 nevertheless. (photos: Ralf Reinecke, Tennis Channel)

Former world number one Amelie Mauresmo and soon-to-become a Top 10 member Caroline Wozniacki will meet in the semifinals of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open.

Mauresmo advanced to the final four after fighting back from a set down to beat Agnes Szavay 5-7 6-1 6-1. In the third set, Mauresmo broke Szavay’s serve in the first, third and seventh game.

Earlier on Friday, ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki, who will become the first Danish woman to crack the Top 10, defeated Vera Dushevina 6-0 6-4.

Mauresmo and Wozniacki have never clashed so far, so we’ll watch their first career meeting.

In the other semifinal, world No.1 Dinara Safina, who beat Alona Bondarenko 6-4 6-3, will face the winner of the quarterfinal between fourth seed Jelena Jankovic and Patty Schnyder. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)