The 2005 US Open champion Kim Clijsters, who has received a wildcard this year, wasn’t really tested in her first-round match at the 2009 US Open and defeated  Viktoriya Kutuzova 6-1 6-1 in just 58 minutes.

The 26-year-old Clijsters is playing her third tournament after a two-year-long break and a child birth. The Belgian former world No.1 had scored victories over four Top 20 players (Marion Bartoli, Patty Schnyder, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Victoria Azarenka) in Cincinnati and Toronto, prior to this US Open.

Clijsters will most likely face world No.14 Marion Bartoli in the second round, whom she beat in Cincinnati, in the match which opened her comeback to professional tennis. (photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Elena Dementiva captured the 2009 Olympus US Open Series women’s title. The Russian won the Rogers Cup, and reached the semifinals of Stanford and Cincinnati.

Flavia Pennetta took the second place. The Italian was tied with Jelena Jankovic, but the Serb came in third, having won less Olympus US Open Series matches this year.

At the US Open 2009, the world No.4 Dementieva will compete for $2.6 million, the largest payout in tennis history – $1.6 million for winning the US Open and a $1 million bonus for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series.

The second and third place finishers will compete for up to $500,000 and $250,000, respectively, in bonus prize money. (source: US Open series, photo: Stephane Martinache)

Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki defended a title for the first time in her career by defeating Russia's Elena Vesnina 6-2 6-4 and winning the New Haven title for the second year in a row.

In the Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick final, the world No.23 Vesnina hit three times as many winners as Wozniacki, but ruined the advantage with four times as many errors as Wozniacki.

Vesnina was playing her second career final, at the same time her second this season, while Wozniacki won her third title of the year, after Ponte Vedra Beach and Eastbourne. (via Women Who Serve, photo via Pilot Pen Tennis)

World No.23 Daniela Hantuchova will no longer wear Nike as of the forthcoming US Open. The Slovakian will switch to the adidas adilibria line, and is especially excited about joining the adidas Player Development Program.

More specifically, Hantuchova will wear the FW10 adilibria apparel range: the lilac purple layered tank top accompanied by a cobalt skort with a low waist and mesh overlayer. (source: Hantuchova's official website, photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Defending US Open champion Serena Williams unveiled her wax figure at Madame Tussaud in New York. The wax Serena Williams is wearing one of Serena’s most memorable outfits – the Nike piece from the 2004 US Open at which she lost to Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals.

Watch the video of Serena and her beloved wax figure.

The US Open is warning players, their coaches, agents, family members, as well as tournament staff, to be careful of the information they reveal on the social networking site Twitter, so as not to violate anti-corruption rules.

Signs, written by the Tennis Integrity Unit, are being posted in the players' lounge, locker rooms and referee's office. The signs are warning that tweeting is not allowed on court during matches. But that’s not all – off-court tweeting is also under radar: "certain sensitive information concerning your match or other matches and/or players should be avoided. Depending on the information sent out this could be determined as the passing of inside information."

I’m wondering what Serena Williams thinks about this. She has almost 1 million followers on Twitter, and tweeting, anyplace and anytime, is one of her favorite activities.

BTW: Here's Women's Tennis Blog's Twitter page. (source: ESPN, photo by our reader Colleen)

Second seed Caroline Wozniacki and Elena Vesnina won their semifinal matches at the Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick, which were moved indoors due to pouring rain in New Haven.

The world No.9 Wozniacki beat third seed Flavia Pennetta by winning eighth of the nine games after being tied at 4-4 in the first set. The world No.32 Vesnina upset eighth seed Amelie Mauresmo in the semifinals, recovering from a tight first set loss to win 5-7 6-1 6-2. By beating the victor over top seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vesnina made her second upset of the tournament (after beating ninth seed Samantha Stosur in the second round).

Vesnina will play only her second career final on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, at the same time her second this season, while Wozniacki will play her 11th singles final, and seventh this season.

Wozniacki has won two of three meetings with Vesnina. They are tied at 1-1 this season. (photos: Ralf Reinecke)

Eighth seed Amelie Mauresmo upset top seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals of the Pilot Pet Tennis presented by Schick 7-6(9) 2-6 6-3.

The former world No.1 Mauresmo saved five set points in the opening set, and won the tiebeak 11-9. The second set she lost easily, while in the third she reclaimed the momentum to advance to the semifinals.

Mauresmo’s next opponent will be Elena Vesnina, who defeated Gisela Dulko in the first round, seed No.9 Samantha Stosur in the second, and Anna Chakvetadze in the quarterfinals. (photo: Stephane Martinache)

Nike has unveiled the US Open 2009 outfits of their tennis players during the Nike’s US Open challenge in New York.

Maria Sharapova's day dress will be dusty-pink with fluorescent green shoulder straps and piping. Of course, the Russian will have a matching visor and a jacket. Read more »

According to Belgian newspaper Vers L'Avenir there is a possibility of Justine Henin returning to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour next season.

The Belgian, who abruptly retired in May 2008 while still at the top of the rankings and just ahead of her favorite Grand Slam (Roland Garros), has started training for exhibitions in Belgium and Dubai at the end of this year. Henin’s entourage has confirmed the preparations, while Vers L'Avenir added that Henin is considering the revival of her tennis career.

While retiring, Henin was confident about her decision, stating she wanted to do other things in life, and backed it up months later by saying:

No, no competition is over for me. For me, it’s definitely over. When I took my decision I knew it was forever. So I don’t say I will never be back for an exhibition or for another event in the future. But for me (playing) on the Tour? Yeah, it’s in the past and I won’t come back. I made the right decision and I stick to my decision. I will never change my mind about that decision.

The 27-year-old Henin had claimed 41 WTA titles, including 7 Grand Slams. (source: Tennis.com, photo: Stephane Martinache)