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)

Grand Slams are the places where tennis players want to look their best and sponsors want to use the opportunity of huge publicity to market their products. Let's have a look at what women's tennis stars are sporting during one such event, Roland Garros 2010 in Paris.

Venus Williams raised many eyebrows by her lingerie-like black dress. But the dress raises all the eyebrows when in action!

Sorana Cirstea lost on Day one to Svetlana Kuznetsova, but her adidas dress can win all the awards, if you asked me. Just like Ana Ivanovic's.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands is wearing her cool tube socks and looks sporty. Well, Venus took Bethanie's role of ball boy distractor. Caroline Wozniacki, nice dress but nothing new, really nothing. Read more »

Four-time French Open champion Justine Henin was making her first appearance at the tournament since winning it in 2007 and defeated Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4 6-3 to reach the second round. The Belgian world No.23 now has 22 straight wins at the French Open, and 21 of those came between 2005 and 2007, in the period Henin won three straight titles in Paris. In addition, the 27-year-old Henin has won 37 straight sets at the tournament, which is the longest streak in the Open Era.

Ninth seed Dinara Safina, finalist here in Paris last year and the year before, was stunned by world No.72 Kimiko Date Krumm in the first round already. The 39-year-old Date Krumm, who made her French Open debut when her today’s opponent was only three-years-old, scored a 3-6 6-4 7-5 victory. The former world No.1 Safina made 17 double faults.

The 1995 French Open semifinalist Date Krumm, who returned to tennis in 2008 after a 12-year retirement, became the second oldest player to win a main draw women's singles match at the tournament since the game turned professional.

Seed No.22 Henin will play Klara Zakopalova in the second round, while Date Krumm will face Jarmila Groth. (photos: HWeidemannPhotography, sydney-yokochin)

Dinara Safina has ended her three-year partnership with Croatian Zeljko Krajan and her new coach will be 35-year-old Gaston Etlis from Argentina. The 35-year-old Etlis won four doubles titles in his career, was ranked as high as No.17 in doubles, while his highest singles ATP-ranking was No. 114.

During her cooperation with Krajan, Safina reached the No.1 ranking, played the finals of three Grand Slams (at two French Opens and one Australian Open) and won an Olympic silver medal in Beijing.

Update from Women Who Serve: It could be the case only during the French Open, and Krajan's coaching of Safina could be extended. (photo: Stephane Martinache)

Russian Dinara Safina did not only fall in the rankings from No.3 to No.5 on Monday, but also fell in the first round of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, the claycourt tournament where she was defending her title. Qualifier Klara Zakopalova upset Safina 7-6(1) 7-6(3).

Both Safina and Zakopalova claimed seven breaks of serve during the match, but the world No.88 Czech dominated the tiebreaks, the first one 7-1 and the second 7-3. Zakopalova is now 2-0 in career meetings with Safina.

Just a short reminder that Safina was defending her title in Rome last week as well and also lost in the first round. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)