Caroline Wozniacki wins fifth title of the season in Tokyo

Caroline Wozniacki beats Elena Dementieva to win Toray Pan Pacific Open 2010

Caroline Wozniacki had been sharing the top position of 2010 WTA titles with Kim Clijsters, but with the victory over Elena Dementieva in the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open the Dane became the only leader with five WTA titles this season. Prior to this year, Wozniacki had never won a match at the Tokyo tournament.

Caroline Wozniacki wins 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open

The top-seeded Wozniacki lost only seven games en route to the semifinals in Tokyo, but her last two matches were three-setters – a close 6-2 6-7(3) 6-4 victory over Victoria Azarenka in the semis and a survival of the tough first set loss to defeat Dementieva 1-6 6-2 6-3 in the final. The win at the Toray Pan Pacific Open added $350,000 to the $2,115,988 Wozniacki has earned in 2010.

Not only is world No.2 Wozniacki the Tour leader in the number of titles this season, she’s also the leader in both the number of finals played (she played six finals and lost only one at Indian Wells) and the number of matches won (54 matches). (photos via Toray Pan Pacific Open)

Caroline Wozniacki, Elena Dementieva into Tokyo final

Caroline WozniackiElena Dementieva

Caroline Wozniacki is closing in on the No.1 ranking by reaching the final of the $2 million Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo where she will face Elena Dementieva.

The top-seeded Wozniacki advanced to the final with a 6-2 6-7(3) 6-4 victory over Victoria Azarenka, No.8 seed. Wozniacki stormed through the first set, before losing the second set which featured eight breaks of serve. In the final set, the second-ranked Dane won five straight games for a 5-0 lead, but Azarenka managed to take the score to 5-4, winning 16 of 19 points. However, Wozniacki held serve in the sixth game and won the match of the young stars.

The other semifinal was seventh-seeded Elena Dementieva vs. fifth-seeded Francesca Schiavone. Dementieva won the match 6-4 7-5 even though she started it by winning only two of the first ten points.

Wozniacki and Dementieva are tied at 3-3 in their head-to-head record. However, Wozniacki won three of their last four meetings, including a close semifinal this year en route to New Haven title. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

US Open 2010 women's tennis fashion

Women's tennis fashion is attracting a lot of attention, especially at Grand Slams when clothing sponsors and players try to showcase the best they have. So let's see what they've come up for the 2010 US Open.

I'll start with adidas, my overall favorite, as they always make outfits that have a glamorous touch but can also be easily worn at everyday practice.

Daniela Hantuchova in adidas Women's Fall adilibria Dress at US Open 2010Ana Ivanovic in adidas Women's Fall adilibria Dress at US Open 2010

Daniela Hantuchova and Ana Ivanovic are sporting pink adidas Women's Fall adilibria Dress.

Dinara Safina in adidas Barricade Top and Skort at the 2010 US OpenMaria Kirilenko in adidas Barricade Top and Skort at the 2010 US Open

Russians Dinara Safina and Maria Kirilenko are clad in adidas Barricade Top and Skort.

Caroline Wozniacki in Stella McCartney Tennis Performance Dress at the 2010 US OpenElena Dementieva in red Yonex at the 2010 US Open

Caroline Wozniacki is looking great in Stella McCartney Tennis Performance Dress, contrasting nicely with Tennis Performance Bra Top. Elena Dementieva and Yonex once again failed to impress with design and fellow blogger C Note, who saw the dress live at the US Open, said that it even looks two sizes too big on Dementieva.

Maria Sharapova in the Nike Striking Court Day Dress at the 2010 US OpenMaria Sharapova in the Nike Maria Sharapova NYC Dress at the 2010 US Open

As usual for a Grand Slam, Maria Sharapova has two versions of a Nike dress – one for day matches and a darker piece for night. When we reviewed the dresses from the photos prior to the Open they looked somewhat questionable, but when seen on Sharapova they are a perfect match. You can see the dresses closer here and here.

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Hantuchova wastes chances, Dementieva advances to round four

Elena Dementieva at US Open 2010Russian 12th seed Elena Dementieva advanced to the fourth round of the US Open after surviving the first set against seed No.24 Daniela Hantuchova and then moving through the second set much more easily for a 7-5 6-2 win. Dementieva converted all six of her break points, three in each set, while Hantuchova was serving for the first set and permitted Dementieva to recover.

Hantuchova hasn’t really defeated Dementieva since 2005 and they have played six times since then (I said "really" because Hantuchova did score one victory over Dementieva, but it was when Dementieva retired, this year in Dubai).

Dementieva’s opponent in the fourth round will be fifth seed Samantha Stosur who defeated 37th-ranked Sara Errani 6-2 6-3. Stosur had a pretty solid victory over Errani and the Italian has now fallen to 0-15 against Top 10 players.

Dementieva won all four meetings with Stosur on hardcourts and is 4-1 lifetime against the Australian. Dementieva was finalist at the US Open in 2004, and played the semifinals three times, while Stosur has never before been further than the second round of the US Open. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

The New York Times Magazine gives special feature to WTA players and their power

The New York Times Magazine used various forms of media to show how power has changed women’s tennis. The feature including an article by Michael Kimmelman, extraordinary photos and awesome short slow motion videos by Dewey Nicks has attracted a lot of positive attention in the tennis world, so make sure to check it out.

Elena Dementieva The New York Times Magazine

The article mentions a number of women’s tennis players and their stories, the expansion of the WTA to the Chinese market, the increase in prize money and equal pay at Grand Slams, the difficulties tour pros (or "independent contractors" as Stacey Allaster, CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, likes to call them) can face in earning a living, the influence of Serena and Venus Williams, etc.

Samantha Stosur The New York Times Magazine

The slideshow and videos include Serena Willams, Jelena Jankovic, Kim Clijsters, Elena Dementieva, Victoria Azarenka, Samantha Stosur and Vera Zvonareva. I love how Dementieva's grace accompanies the delicate music of the video. Also, it's a nice surprise to see Sam looking like a ballet dancer. (via Down the Line)


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