Victoria Azarenka is the only WTA player competing at the season-ending Championships that's active this week ahead of the luxurious event – all the other seven women in the singles field, except Angelique Kerber who is set to play Luxembourg next week, have nothing left on their schedule but the Championships – and at the ongoing Generali Ladies Linz, the No.1 is simply continuing the stellar momentum that earned her the Beijing title last week.

The Belarusian is now in the final of the Austrian tournament, having lost just 11 games en route to the title match. Imagine, she hasn't lost more than two games per set in her victories over Arantxa Rus, Simona Halep, Petra Martic, and today Irina-Camelia Begu, while last week she won a Premier Mandatory tournament losing four games in just two sets!

In the final, Azarenka will face fifth seed Julia Goerges, who beat Kirsten Flipkens 1-6 6-2 6-3 in the semis. Azarenka's prospects are good for her 66th match win this season and her sixth title of the year. She's 3-1 head-to-head against Goerges, and even that one loss came through retirement, while her record on hardcourts this year is stunning, 44-4.

Enjoying the successful week in Linz, Azarenka joined the dance troupe performing on the court and showed some moves, including, of course, the Gangnam Style. Read more »

Marion Bartoli, top seed at the GRC Bank Guangzhou International Women's Open and quarterfinalist at the recent US Open, retired in the first round while trailing Taiwan’s Chang Kai-Chen 4-3. The reason for the withdrawal from the $220,000 Chinese event was gastrointestinal illness.

At the other tournament going on this week, the $500,000 KDB Korea Open, No.1 seed Caroline Wozniacki cruised past Arantxa Rus 6-1 6-2. The Dane, who is playing her first tournament as a non-Top 10 player in three and a half years, has been practicing hard and is trying to focus on one match at a time.

Third seed Kaia Kanepi is also through, with a 6-1 6-0 victory over Han Sung-Hee. Kanepi is playing her first event since the French Open, having recovered from a bilateral Achilles injury. The only seed that lost in Seoul was No.5 Julia Goerges, who fell to Silvia Soler-Espinosa 1-6 7-6(5) 6-2. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

Defending champion Samantha Stosur was close to joining Yaroslava Shvedova in achieving a golden set, but at 4-0 40-0 in the first set, the Australian double faulted and spoiled the opportunity. Still, nothing can diminish her perfect start of title defense, as the seventh seed needed just 51 minutes to beat Petra Martic 6-1 6-1 in the first round of the US Open.

As I write this, only ten women's singles matches have finished and two Germans, two seeded Germans, are already out – No.18 seed Julia Goerges and No.16 seed Sabine Lisicki.

Kristyina Pliskova took Goerges out 7-6(4) 6-1. The world No.125 Pliskova, 20 years old, has qualified for the US Open for the firs time. Goerges hasn't won more than two matches per tournament since losing the Dubai final to Agnieszka Radwanska in February, while this is her first first-round Grand Slam exit since Wimbledon 2010, when she was ranked 72nd.

As for Lisicki, her US Open loss came at the hands of Sorana Cirstea, who is now 4-0 head-to-head against Lisicki. After an up-and-down three-setter, Cirstea came out on top 4-6 6-2 6-2.

Another German, Andrea Petkovic, whose comeback is still very fresh, is in action today. At the moment, she trailing Romina Oprandi 1-5 in the first set.

So far this Monday, one more seed went out – No.27 Anabel Medina Garrigues fell to Lucie Hradecka 6-3 6-3.

Update: Andrea Petkovic lost to Romina Oprandi 6-2 7-5, while all the seeds in action on Day 1, besides the three previously mentioned, advanced to the second round. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

Our guest blogger Omair likes to give WTA players unofficial titles on the account of their performance at big events. Notice how Serena improved from the Biggest Disappointment at Roland Garros, to Grass Empress at Wimbledon, to shortly afterwards become a Golden Empress at the Olympics.

SERENA WILLIAMS – GOLDEN EMPRESS

With her first gold medal in singles at the Olympics, Serena completed her Career Golden Slam, joining Steffi Graf and becoming only the second woman to achieve such a feat. Moreover, Serena did that in style, losing a total of 17 games in six matches. En route to the medal, Serena defeated four players who have ranked world number one at some point (Jelena Jankovic in the first round, Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals, Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals and Maria Sharapova in the final). She also became the only tennis player in history to complete Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. With such a strong performance, Serena reinforces her title of grass empress earned during Wimbledon 2012.

MARIA SHARAPOVA, VICTORIA AZARENKA – BRIDESMAIDS

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Sharapova and Azarenka were both the victims of Serena at the Olympics, and have combined three wins against her in 21 matches.

Sharapova rebounded strongly from her Wimbledon disappointment, however, she lost her plot completely once in the final and managed to win just one game in the most lopsided Olympic gold medal match.

Azarenka seemed determined to be on the course to win gold, but just like at Wimbledon, it was Serena who stood in her way. Azarenka had a chance to avenge her Wimbledon loss, but went down meekly, winning just three games against Serena. Read more »

In the first round of the Olympic Tennis Event and on the first day in 100 years that rain sent the Olympic tennis indoors, Julia Goerges upset second seed Agnieszka Radwanska 7-5 6-7(5) 6-4.

En route to the victory, Goerges fired 56 winners, including 20 aces, 17 forehand winners, 12 backhand winners and 5 volley winners. Her differential of winners to unforced errors was +31, while Radwanska's was just +3.

To make the win even bigger for Goerges, Radwanska's last tournament and actually her last final came at the same Wimbledon venue this month. (source: WTA Tour, photo: © Neal Trousdale)