Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic has won the 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Diamond ACES Award which is given to the tennis player who does the most to help promote the Tour in the course of the year.

Players score points for their off-court activities during tournaments, such as photo shoots and autograph sessions for example, and rankings are calculated after each tournament.

The Roland Garros champion beat the 2007 winner Jelena Jankovic, having earned 30 points more than her compatriot.

Here are this year’s standings:

1 Ana Ivanovic (Srb) 595pts
2 Jelena Jankovic (Srb) 565pts
3 Serena Williams (USA) 345pts Read more »

Ana Ivanovic failed to qualify for the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, and was supposed to play a dead rubber against Svetlana Kuznetsova on Friday.

The two members of the White Group were scheduled to play their match as the last one of the day. However, Kuznetsova won’t face Ivanovic, but first alternate Agnieszka Radwanska.

Ivanovic withdrew from the tournament with viral illness, which had also bothered her in both of her round robin matches she lost. (photo: Getty Images)

Ana Ivanovic celebrated her twenty-first birthday during the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha.

The world No.4 celebrated the occasion at the VIP Village of the Khalifa International Tennis Complex, accompanied by Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott, Tournament Director Karim Alami and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Staff. Read more »

Ana Ivanovic lost another match at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha – on Tuesday the French Open champion fell to fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic, while on Wednesday she lost the first career three-setter against Russian Vera Zvonareva.

Eighth-seeded Zvonareva defeated fourth-seeded Ivanovic 6-3 6-7(5) 6-4 after two hours and 28 minutes of play.

It was the second match at the 2008 Sony Ericsson Championships for both players. Zvonareva went past compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova on Tuesday.

Ivanovic and Zvonareva have one more round-robin match in their White Group.

Just like in the match against Jankovic, Ivanovic again had breathing problems. Near the end of the first set today, Ivanovic received medical help, and I hear it was due to a virus.

Before today's clash at the Sony Ericsson Championships, the last time Ivanovic and Zvonareva met was in the final of the Generali Ladiez Linz ten days ago, and the Serb was victorious then in straight sets.

Gossip info: Fernando Verdasco was again in the stands supporting Ana. (photos: Getty Images)

Serbian world No.1 Jelena Jankovic defeated compatriot Ana Ivanovic 6-3 6-4 in their opening round-robin match at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha.

The top-seeded Jankovic established a 3-0 lead in the first set, and even though Ivanovic managed to break back in the fifth game, Jankovic rebroke right away for 4-2. That break was enough to secure Jankovic victory in the first set. The 23-year-old Jankovic started the second set confidently, too. But even though Ivanovic’s game improved, at no point was Jankovic’s victory challenged.

Ivanovic, seeded fourth, didn’t lead for one moment in the match. Her best score actually was when she evened at 3-3 in the second set.

Also victorious on day 1 was Vera Zvonareva who went past fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2 6-3 in the opening round robin match. Venus Williams and Dinara Sadina are playing at the moment.

Additional info: Ivanovic appeared to have sustained some injury near the end of the match, but she didn’t use medical time-out. I don’t know what the problem was, but I hope Ana is healthy and will be able to play her best in Doha.

BTW: I’m now pretty sure Verdasco and Ana are dating. He was again watching her from the stands. One thing only, he should have been talking on the phone less, and watching Ana’s struggle more.

And also, I have to say this: Ana looks great in that purple dress by adidas. It suits her very well, I was expecting less.

UPDATE: Ivanovic didn't get injured, she had breathing problems. (photo: Getty Images)