Top seed Vera Zvonareva defeated Sania Mirza 7-5 6-1 in the final of the PTT Pattaya Open to win her eighth career title.

The Russian world No.5 was tested in a long first set, but showed her class in the second when she finished off the error-prone Indian.

The world No.126 Mirza was making her fourth career Tour final appearance and first since 2007 Stanford, where she lost to Anna Chakvetadze, while Zvonareva had lost her three previous finals, all in 2008. (source: Reuters)

The quarterfinal clash between Vera Zvonareva and Marion Batoli was much shorter than expected, as the Russian seventh seed eased past the No.16 seed from France 6-3 6-0.

This match can easily be summed up: Bartoli established a 3-1, and after that Zvonareva won all the following games. Spectacular Bartoli sent home top seed and world No.1 Jelena Jankovic in the previous round, but was a huge disappointment against Zvonareva.

Zvonareva has now reached her first semifinal of a Grand Slam and to make things even better, she hasn’t lost a set at the 2009 Australian Open yet, while as much as four sets she has won 6-0.

Zvonareva will next face the winner of the Dinara Safina vs. Jelena Dokic match. (photo: Getty Images)

Vera Zvonareva, Victoria Azarenka and Marion Bartoli pulled out of the Medibank International Sydney because of injury and illness.

Russian world No.7 Zvonareva withdrew from her first-round match against Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues after suffering a bout of gastroenteritis.

Belorussian world No.14 Azarenka, who won her maiden WTA title last week in Brisbane, pulled out because of a mystery virus.

Bartoli, the world No.17 from France and the last week's finalist at the Brisbane International, quit her match against British qualifier Melanie South after just two games because of a calf injury. (source: Reuters, photos: Getty Images via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Venus Williams hasn’t lost one singles match at the JB Group Classic in Hong Kong, and her last victim was Russian world number seven Vera Zvonareva.

The 28-year-old American rounded off her only preparation for the Australian Open with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Zvonareva.

From what we’ve seen of the world number six this week, she’s on a great way to win her first Australian Open title.

Prior to beating Zvonareva, Williams had defeated Anna Chakvetadze 7-6 6-3, and world number one Jelena Jankovic 6-2 6-2.

Williams' win helped Team Americas claim victory over Team Russia in the JB Gold Group final. Other members of Team Americas were Gisela Dulko of Argentina and American Coco Vandeweghe.

Not all the magazines can be filled with Maria Sharapova’s pictures. Vera Zvonareva took some of Maria’s modeling gigs, and proved to be a cute model posing for Russian PROsport magazine.

Still, all the tennis players, including Zvonareva, would have to work really hard to take Masha’s modeling lead.