At the ASB Classic in Auckland, world No.34 Zheng Jie won her first title since 2006, but the final match was an unfinished battle, as her opponent Flavia Pennetta retired at 2-6 6-3 2-0 with a low back injury. We're only a week into the tennis season, and the number of WTA players injured or ill is close to ten.

In the first round Zheng defeated Ayumi Morita, in the second eighth seeded Monica Niculescu, in the quarterfinals Lucie Hradecka, then third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova for the first time in their seven meetings, and finally Pennetta.

Zheng's first title came in Hobart in 2005, and since winning Estoril and Stockholm in 2006 she hasn't clinched any titles, even though she played two Grand Slam semifinals – at Wimbledon 2008 and Australian Open 2010.

Regarding Pennetta's injury, she started feeling it at 4-2 in the first set and an MRI scan will reveal how serious it is. (photo via ASB Classic)

A big tennis exhibition featuring six WTA stars (including two Top 10 members) took place on December 16-18 in Singapore and Italian Flavia Pennetta walked away with a victory bowl, defeating Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska in the final 6-4 7-5. Pennetta ended the tournament with a 3-0 win-loss record and besides the older Polish sister she defeated Daniela Hantuchova and 2011 US Open winner Samantha Stosur. Read more »

Never in their eight previous matches in the period of eight years, from 2002 to 2010, had Francesca Schiavone beaten Venus Williams, and at the December 3rd exhibition event in Milan, the Italian managed to beat both the Williams sisters, on top of showing her dancing skills by entertaining the 11,000 crowd to Michael Jackson's "Beat It" with Flavia Pennetta.

Schiavone defeated Venus 7-5 7-3, and then Serena 7-3 8-10 8-6. Pennetta also beat Venus, 7-6 7-2, but lost to Serena 6-8 7-3 7-3. The Williams sisters won the doubles 3-7 8-6 8-6.

Neither of the Williams sisters played competitive tennis since the US Open, however they did play another exhibition match recently, last month in Columbia, and Venus defeated Serena 6-4 7-6(5). (source: ESPN)

Thanks to Linda, who scanned childhood photos from Flavia Pennetta's autobiography "Dritto al cuore" (Straight to the Heart), and Women's Tennis Blog reader Tony, who retweeted me the pictures, you get to see the tennis star when she started out.

I love the romantic look that our Italian stars used to nurture when they were kids. Remember Sara Errani? Flavia looks beautiful in the long light dress, gazing at her racquet.

In the second photo you can see Flavia with her parents and elder sister Giorgia. They all play recreational tennis. Read more »

You have to love Flavia Pennetta. In an interview with Diva e donna the Italian admitted how former boyfriend and former tennis world No.1 Carlos Moya hurt her, because she believed they would be together for the rest of their lives, and how she can now hardly give her whole heart to a man, but the hilarious Flavia assured us that she's not missing out on the physical pleasures despite her single status.

The end of my relationship with Moya hurt me more than any injury. I put him before myself and you shouldn't do that for a man. Now I'm single, officially, but it wasn't so long ago that I last made love.

Pennetta and fellow tennis player Moya broke up in 2007, due to his cheating. Moya has since been with Spanish actress Carolina Cerezuela with whom he has a daughter now. (source: Gazzetta, photo: Ralf Reinecke)