Semifinals are set at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo: Nadia Petrova vs. Sam Stosur and Angelique Kerber vs. Agnieszka Radwanska.

Nadia Petrova was the first to advance, with a massive 3-6 7-5 6-3 win over Sara Errani in two hours and 36 minutes. The Russian actually won one point less than her opponent in the tense match (101 to Errani's 102), but saved 7 of 12 break points, while Errani saved 7 of 13.

The encounter of Maria Sharapova and Sam Stosur followed. Both started strongly, with 100% of first serves won up to 2-2 40-15 for Stosur in the first set. However, there was an exchange of breaks for 4-4 and it was Stosur who held her serve then and broke Sharapova again in the end, for a perfect conversion of break points and 6-4. Read more »

The last two tournaments before Wimbledon are over and we have Tamira Paszek and Nadia Petrova lifting trophies.

Paszek crowned a dream week at the AEGON International with her first Premier-level title. The Austrian came to the tournament with a 2-13 record this year, but she improved it well by defeating Marina Erakovic, Daniela Hantuchova and Tsvetana Pironkova, then world No.9 and defending champion Marion Bartoli, coming back from 6-4 4-0 down, and now in the final against world No.8 Angelique Kerber, the WTA's match win leader in 2012, Paszek saved match points to become a surprise winner of Eastbourne.

In the third set Paszek was 5-3 down and had five match points against her, but she survived to win the match 5-7 6-3 7-5.

At the Unicef Open, Nadia Petrova defeated first-time finalist Urszula Radwanska for her 11th WTA title and the first one on grass. The eighth-seeded Petrova didn't lose a set all week, beating Kiki Bertens, Anabel Medina Garrigues, Dominika Cibulkova, Kirsten Flipkens, and finally Radwanska 6-4 6-3. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

This is hilarious! WTA players have no clear idea about who the Top 5 players in the rankings are, and to make things worse, not even world No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska knows who is ranked just below her! They are all pretty good with the Top 3, but the Top 5, hmmm, too difficult. Interestingly, they all think that Li Na is in the Top 5.

Elena Bovina guesses that Jelena Jankovic is No.5, and she's fallen out of the Top 20! Read more »

In the first set of the second-round meeting between Nadia Petrova and Serena Williams at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Petrova seemed to be striding towards ending Williams' winning streak on clay, but already in the beginning of the second set the momentum changed in the dramatic fourth game and the American marched on to grab her 15th straight win.

In the beginning of the match Petrova was confident on her shots, especially on serve, never facing a break opint, and an early break of Williams earned her the first set. Until 1-1 in the second set, Williams was inferior, as Petrova lost just six points in her six service games. And in the following game things looked to be going the Russian's way, as she had an opportunity to break Serena to love! But Petrova's nerves and errors and Serena's determination clashed and the American held her serve after saving five break points. Since then the set was all hers, even though she dropped serve in the seventh game. In the third set both players held their serves until the eighth game when Serena struck again and then served out for the match. Final score: 4-6 6-2 6-3.

The ninth-seeded Williams will next play Anabel Medina Garrigues, who had an easy passage into the third round when Caroline Wozniacki retired trailing 4-6 0-4, stating upper respiratory illness. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

A month ago, numerous reputable news sources reported that Russian Nadia Petrova was in the process of obtaining the US citizenship. The Russian lives in Florida, and we all believed what we read. During last week's Family Circle Cup in Charleston, straight from the horse's month we heard that the reports were not based on facts. Here's what Petrova said at the tournament after her victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the third round.

Interviewer: Nadia, I understand you've applied to be a citizen of this country?

Nadia Petrova: Citizen, no. I just applied for a green card. That's all. I don't even have it. So I don't know what people talk about it.

The 29-year-old Petrova confirmed that she will continue to reside in Florida. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)