World No.7 and third seed Samantha Stosur worked hard to defeat Daniela Hantuchova 6-3 3-6 6-4 and advance to the quarterfinals of the AEGON International. Stosur scored 13 aces, saved 10 of 13 break points and won her opponent’s serve four times en route to the fourth straight win over Hantuchova.

The 2010 French Open finalist has now played quarterfinals or better of the last six events she has entered. In addition, the Australian has recorded her 300th career victory, the 34th this season, and her singles win-loss record is 300-215 now.

Unlike Stosur who faced difficulties against Hantuchova, fifth seed Kim Clijsters followed up her straightforward 6-1 6-1 victory over compatriot Yanina Wickmayer in the first round of the AEGON International with a 6-1 6-0 win over Lucie Safarova. Impressively, the second round match was over in just 38 minutes! (photo: sr_cranks)

Former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic won in three sets in the first round of the $220,000 Unicef Open against Sofia Arvidsson 4-6 6-0 6-1, but then fell in the next round already, to seventh seed Andrea Petkovic. After losing the first set, the world No.45 Ivanovic took the second set in a tie-break, but won only one game in the decider to let Petkovic advance with a 6-4 6-7(4) 6-1 victory.

Although the outcome of this match can’t be called an upset, we still perceive Ivanovic as a top player, despite her constant losses. However, there is one favorable circumstance – Ivanovic could soon have a soul mate in Dinara Safina who seems to be rapidly approaching just as huge a slump. (photo: sr_cranks)

Top seed and defending champion Caroline Wozniacki lost her first career encounter with Aravane Rezai 6-4 1-6 6-3 in the opening round of the AEGON International. Wozniacki was playing her first match on grass this year, and lost to Rezai who was coming off a semifinal appearance in Birmingham last week, where she pushed eventual champion Li Na to three sets.

Just like Wozniacki, second-seeded Francesca Schiavone was playing her first grass court match of the season and also said goodbye already in the beginning, falling to Sorana Cirstea 7-5 6-3. Playing her first tournament since winning the French Open, the 2009 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Schiavone fought hard to stay in both sets but lost her first match as a Top 10 player.

On the other hand, fifth seed Kim Clijsters was playing her first match on grass since 2006 and handily defeated fellow Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-1 6-1. (photos: Stephane Martinache, © Neal Trousdale)

The word is out that Elena Dementieva could skip Wimbledon due to the leg injury – a torn calf muscle – troubling her since Roland Garros, more precisely since the second round against Anabel Medina Garrigues. Dementieva was playing the Grand Slam with the injury and reached the semifinal during which she had to withdraw after losing the first set 7-6(3) to eventual champion Francesca Schiavone.

The Russian is not playing the AEGON International this week because of the injury and is still uncertain about her participation at Wimbledon. World No.5 Dementieva has played 46 straight Grand Slams, so in case she really misses Wimbledon we will have every right to get really concerned. (source: Forty Deuce, photo: sr_cranks)

The WTA Tour has a new sponsor – a Chinese company called Peak that is not really known outside of the country. Peak will have a five-year deal with the Tour, worth seven figures annually. As of this summer, they will be the Tour's official shoe and apparel partner in Asia-Pacific.

Under the deal, Peak will receive licensing and merchandising rights to develop a co-branded WTA-Peak line of apparel; will become the official shoe and apparel partner of a series of Tour events in the Asia-Pacific region; will become a partner of the Tour’s China tennis festivals; and will develop a player apparel program.

The aim of the brand is to boost its image at home and attract the Chinese middle class which has a growing interest in leisure activities and plenty of pocket money, while the Tour aims to increase its exposure in the region. Peak wants to show Chinese people that national brands are just as cool as the foreign ones.

"Right now we're learning from Nike. We hope one day we can catch up and surpass Nike, of course that is our goal," said 33-year-old Peak CEO Jim Xu. "But we're different because we know China better than Nike, we have products that are better suited to the Chinese market … We can give consumers another choice."

PEAK stands for Passion, Evolution, Achievement and Knowledge. (source: The New York Times, WTA Tour)

Top seed Justine Henin was an easy opening-round winner at the Unicef Open, formerly known as Ordina Open, while twice defending champion Tamarine Tanasugarn lost in the first round of the tournament where she won two of her three WTA titles.

Justine Henin defeated Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-2 and will play Roberta Vinci in the next round. It’s Henin’s first match on grass in three years. The $220,000 Unicef Open is the last tuneup for Wimbledon, the only major Henin still hasn’t won. Her win-loss record on grass is 46-10 now.

Twice defending champion Tamarine Tanasugarn won the first set, but lost to Australian qualifier Anastasia Rodionova 1-6 7-6(5) 6-3. The Thai Tanasugarn beat Yanina Wickmayer in the 2009 final, while two years ago she beat Dinara Safina, who has also exited too early this time. (photo: pfctdayelise)

The grasscourt Grand Slam is just days away and former world No.1 Dinara Safina is not going there with much confidence. The Russian, now ranked outside the Top 20, at No.21, who was a semifinalist at Wimbledon last year, has lost five successive matches: second round in Stuttgart to Shahar Peer, and then opening matches to Alexandra Dulgheru in Rome, Klara Zakopalova in Madrid, Kimiko Date Krumm at the French Open and the one yesterday on the grass of the Unicef Open to Magdalena Rybarikova.

World No.45 Rybarikova had entered the match at the Unicef Open with a 0-2 record against Safina, but the Slovakian converted five of her 11 break chances, compared to Safina’s three of 11, and edged the second seed 6-7(4) 6-4 6-4 in the first round. Safina could find consolation in the fact that Rybarikova's sole Tour title came on grass, in Birmingham.

Additional info: Safina’s former coach Zeljko Krajan is now coaching Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova, who beat 16-year-old Brit Laura Robson 6-3 6-4 to advance to the Unicef Open second round. (photo: chascow)

The 2009 runner-up Li Na has defeated Maria Sharapova for the second year in a row at the AEGON Classic, last year in the semifinals but this year in the finals to claim her first WTA title on grass.

The first set was closely fought,  with the second-seeded Sharapova making a 3-1 lead only to let Li break back and level at 3-3. During the first set Sharapova, twice titlist in Birmingham, had and converted only that one break point, while Li converted 2 of her 8 chances to break and win the first set 7-5. Li then rolled through the second set 6-1.

By winning her third WTA singles title, the first Chinese women's tennis player to enter the Top 10 will return to the elite group. (photo via AEGON Classic)

Maria Sharapova put an end to an amazing winning streak of qualifier Alison Riske to reach the AEGON Classic final for the fourth time in seven visits to Birmingham. The Russian’s opponent in the title match will be Li Na, who defeated her in the last year’s semifinals.

Riske had never won a WTA main-draw match before this week, but even after victories over Sandra Zahlavova in the first round, former world No.5 Chakvetadze, ninth seed Aleksandra Wozniak and third seed Yanina Wickmayer, the 19-year-old had fuel in her tank and took one set from Sharapova who came through with the 6-2 4-6 6-1 score.

Top seed Li Na of China also played a three-setter to beat Aravane Rezai 6-1 3-6 6-3 in the second semifinal and reach the trophy round. The Chinese No.1, who was upset by Magdalena Rybarikova in the 2009 final, is 1-5 in career meetings with Sharapova. (photo by Richard)

Dear readers,

One more successful competition on Women's Tennis Blog has been concluded and I'm happy to announce that the winners of Anastasia's Yoga for Tennis DVDs are our regular readers and commentators Bróna and LuLinQa (randomly chosen). They will each get a set of three DVDs with yoga exercises specially selected for the needs of tennis players.

I hope that I will soon have an opportunity to organize another competition, and that those of you who still haven't been so lucky will have another chance.

A big thanks to all of you who participated, and of course to Anastasia for providing me with the DVDs for my readers.

Marija