World No.16 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia has pulled out of the US Open due to a rib injury.

Italian Alberta Brianti, ranked 85th, will get a place in the main draw as a result of Cibulkova’s withdrawal.

The US Open gets underway on Monday. (photo by our reader Colleen)

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It’s fair to say Sharapova has gone further than expected, having in mind she reached the quarterfinals with only three competitive singles matches played in nine and a half months prior to Roland Garros. On her way to the final four on her least favorite surface, Sharapova beat seed No.11 Nadia Petrova and seed No.25 Li Na.

The former world No.1 Sharapova was close to being double bageled by Cibulkova in the quarterfinals, but the Russian broke Cibulkova’s serve at 5-0, even though Cibulkova had a match point. Then Sharapova impressively won the following game, and when Cibulkova served for the match again, Sharapova gave more resistance, by saving three match points in that game. However, she was defeated on the fifth.

In the first quarterfinal of the day, top seed Dinara Safina lost her first set at the 2009 French Open to ninth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who took out defending champion Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round. However, despite opening her quarterfinal by losing the opening set in just 23 minutes, the dominant Russian won the match 1-6 6-4 6-2.

I simply have to point out the spectacular stats of Safina's first four rounds: the world No.1 won four sets at love, dropped only five games, and her average match time was just 59 minutes. (photos: Stephane Martinache)

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Victoria Azarenka, Dominika Cibulkova, Alona Bondarenko and Anna Chakvetadze appear in this month’s French edition of FHM, an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.

The French Open will soon reach its full swing, which is the best timing for the photos to come out. However, two of these four tennis players are already out of the tournament. Chakvetadze and Bondarenko went out in the first round. Actually, Cibulkova defeated Bondarenko in that match, and the Slovakian, just like Azarenka, is still in, awaiting her third-round match.

The FHM bikini photos of the ladies are accompanied by their interviews.

Remember, Ana Ivanovic was on the cover of FHM last year? (via WTA Hotties)

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Russia had been the favorites to win the mixed team event since world No.3 Dinara Safina and No.29 Marat Safin were ranked much higher than their respective singles opponents. However, not everything goes in accordance with the ranking.

World number 19 Cibulkova beat Safina 6-7(3) 6-1 6-4 for the first time, while world number 250 Hrbaty edged out the two-time Grand Slam champion Safin 6-7(5) 7-5 7-6(3).

The Slovak Republic have won their third Hopman Cup title. (sources: Reuters, Hompan Cup)

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Slovakian world No.1 Dominika Cibulkova won the Women's Tennis Player Award 2008 in her home country.

The 19th-ranked Cibulkova was accompanied by her boyfriend, Austrian tennis player Jurgen Melzer. The last time we saw the couple was when they were together in Maldives. (via womenstennisphotos.co.cc)

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It seems Slovak world No.19 Dominika Cibulkova totally overcame ex-boyfriend Gael Monfils.

The 19-year-old WTA player hooked up with another tennis player, Jurgen Melzer, probably during the US Open where they played mixed doubles together, and now we have a hot update – photos of Cibulkova and Melzer having fun in Maldives.

The couple is spending their off season vacationing in the exotic destination, but even though we are seeing a lot of great pics from their holiday, this hot tennis couple can take only the second place. Of course, the number one position belongs to Ana Ivanovic and Fernando Verdasco.

(via Down the Line)

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I’m reading that Slovakian world No.20 Dominika Cibulkova is dating Austrian tennis player Jurgen Melzer, ranked 35th in the world. When did the 19-year-old Dominika end her relationship with Gael Monfils? I have no idea.

Anyway, Cibulkova and Melzer might have hooked up during the US Open, where they teamed up for mixed doubles.

Melzer is something of a lady-killer on the Tour, as he previously dated Anastasia Myskina and Nicole Vaidisova. (laola1 via WTA Hotties)

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Our series of photos of women’s tennis stars when they were kids continues with Dominika Cibulkova, currently the 20th-ranked player in the world. Enjoy!

The 19-year-old Slovakian diminutive beauty was once a little girl with short hair. Hehe, the picture of her sitting at a schooldesk is especially cute. It’s not that Dominika changed too much, but I’m not sure I would have recognized her.

Thanks to Dominika we are able to see all these pictures; she shared them on her official website where you can see even more of her personal photos.

Dominika Cibulkova first made headlines at Dubai when she beat Patty Schnyder and Venus Williams on her way to the quarterfinals.

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The fourth-seeded Ivanovic had a first round bye, and was upset 3-6 6-2 7-6 (4) right away in the second round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, falling to the world No.20 Cibulkova.

To make things worse, Ivanovic had two match points in the 10th game of the deciding set, but failed to convert them.

More bad news for Ana's fans: At the 2008 Kremlin Cup, Ivanovic played her first doubles match in tournament play since June 2007. On Wednesday, after her singles defeat, she also lost in the doubles competition, paired with Italy's Francesca Schiavone. They were beaten 6-2 4-6 10-7 by top seeds and world No.1s Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the quarterfinals. (via Ana Ivanovic's website, photo: ivanovic-ana.com)

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Women’s tennis stars Agnes Szavay, Dominika Cibulkova, and Caroline Wozniacki modeled new Bluetooth watches that can be used to control a mobile phone. The watches were unveiled on Wednesday by Sony Ericsson.

"The MBW-200 series is the next step in the development of Bluetooth™ wireless technology." said Karmen Mandic, Product Business Manager, at Sony Ericsson. "Now women can buy a Bluetooth™ watch that gives them both wireless functionality and an opportunity to express their personal taste. We’re all looking for products that make our lives more convenient. With a glance at your watch you can see who is calling, what the time is and with a push of a button you can change your music or use it as a music remote control when your phone is on the other side of the room– all in one stylish device."

The MBW-200 series was designed by Fossil and the Bluetooth™ knowhow of Sony Ericsson. You can choose between three different styles: Sparkling Allure, promoted by 19-year-old Dominika Cibulkova, Contemporary Elegance, worn by Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki, and Evening Classic, modeled by Hungarian Agnes Szavay. (source: On the Baseline)

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