Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva met Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and gave him the tennis racquet which led her to victory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The gift giving took place in the Kremlin where Medvedev welcomed Russian national tennis team and their captain Shamil Tarpischev.

In the following picture you can see that Elena Vesnina, Dinara Safina, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Vera Zvonareva were also there. Read more »

Top seed Jelena Jankovic defeated third-seeded Elena Dementieva 0-6 6-1 6-0 (what a score!) in the semifinals of the Kremlin Cup.

Jankovic overcame a dreadful start to defeat the defending champion Dementieva. After being bageled in the first set, the Serb took 12 of the last 13 games to overcome the Russian in one hour 17 minutes and reach the final in Moscow.

Jankovic, who is now 6-3 lifetime against the Olympic champion Dementieva, is making only her second appearance at the Kremlin Cup. The first time she played in Moscow was in 2005 when she fell in the first round.

The world number one Jankovic is now just one step away from her third successive WTA singles title. Her next opponent will be Russian Vera Zvonareva who has just defeated compatriot Dinara Safina. (photo: Getty Images)

Top seed Jelena Jankovic’s chance of reclaiming the number one ranking has been ruined as she was defeated by Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

Third seed Elena Dementieva, Olympic gold medalist and the latest player to qualify for the prestigious season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, was upset by Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia.

Jankovic started well against the fifth-seeded Russian but eventually went down 2-6 7-5 7-5. Had she went all the way to the Tokyo title, Jankovic would have overtaken Serena Williams in the rankings.

Dementieva, the winner in Tokyo two years ago, failed to keep an early lead before going down to qualifier Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 6-3 6-4. Srebotnik earned her fourth Top 10 win of the year.

Sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland also lost in a day of upsets, falling to Russia's Nadia Petrova 6-3 6-0. Fourth seed Dinara Safina of Russia was the best-ranked player to remain after beating qualifier Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-4 6-7(5) 6-2.

Semifinal pairs: Kuznetsova vs Srebotnik, Safina vs Petrova. (photos: Getty Images)

World number four Elena Dementieva has joined Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams and Dinara Safina in qualifying for the Sony Ericsson Championships, the tournament which marks the end of the tennis year, where the world's Top 8 singles players and Top 4 doubles teams from the season compete for the title.

Olympic champion and US Open 2008 semifinalist Dementieva, who also clinched Dubai title, is currently ranked fifth in the Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships with 2,855 points.

Only three more spots remain in the singles draw of the tournament, as five spots have been taken. Maria Sharapova currently sits at No.6 with 2,515 points, followed by Venus Williams with 2,106 points and Svetlana Kuznetsova with 2,022 points.

The prestigious tournament will be held in Doha, Qatar from November 4-9, 2008. It will be the biggest tennis event ever to take place in the region.

Last year Justine Henin won the title at the Sony Ericsson Championships. Then, the tournament was in Madrid. (source: Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Second seed Jelena Jankovic reached the first Grand Slam final of her career with a straight set victory over fifth seed Elena Dementieva at the 2008 US Open. Final score: 6-4 6-4.

Dementieva broke Jankovic’s serve at the very beginning of their semifinal showdown. However, since Dementieva’s 4-2 lead, Jankovic took four consecutive games to take the first set. Out of the first six games of the second set, four were breaks. After that, the players held their serve, but Jankovic broke Dementieva in the tenth game of the set, scoring on her second match point.

This US Open semifinal was Jankovic’s fifth in a Grand Slam, and the Serb managed to go one step further for the first time. It’s interesting to point out that Jankovic’s first semifinal of a Grand Slam was at this same tournament in 2006.

Judging by how many splits JJ made during today’s match, she’s healthy and ready for her next opponent.

Serena Williams and Dinara Safina will face each other in the other semifinal. (photo: Getty Images)