Agnieszka Radwanska extended her perfect record against Vera Zvonareva in 2011 to 3-0 (overall it's 3-2) by winning the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open for her sixth career title and her second Premier-level title of the season (for the first one, in Carlsbad in August, Radwanska also defeated Zvonareva).

The ninth-seeded Radwanska started nervously, losing the first two games of the match and facing a point for 0-3. Then the Pole woke up and won eight of the following nine games for a 6-3 2-0 lead. Zvonareva, seed No.4, was never able to produce a sufficient comeback, unlike in her astonishing victory over Petra Kvitova in the previous round, and Radwanska won 6-3 6-2. Zvonareva worsened her already poor win-loss record in career finals: 12-18. Read more »

"It's healthier to laugh than to cry…from the MRI center last night" is the caption below the latest photo on Maria Sharapova's Facebook page showing the smiling Russian with a wrapped leg in a wheelchair.

Sharapova twisted her ankle while serving midway in the first set of her quarterfinal against Petra Kvitova in Tokyo. Her leg got seriously swollen very soon, but fortunately, closer medical examination proved the injury was not serious.

Hi everyone! Good news is that the MRI showed no big damage in the ankle. Will do my best to recover in time for Istanbul. It better recover soon because I can become quite the annoying patient! I will keep everyone posted with my progress.

Here's how the second-ranked Sharapova fell and hurt her ankle which forced her to retire from the tourament:

Vera Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwanska will meet in the final of the Premier-level Tokyo tournament. They are tied at 2-2 in head-to-head stats, but Radwanska won their last two matches and both were this summer (Carlsbad final and Toronto). On the other hand, Zvonareva, who will be No.2 in the world again if she wins the title, played 29 finals in her career, as opposed to Radwanska’s more modest seven.

The fourth-seeded Zvonareva clawed back from a 5-1 deficit in the first set against Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and ended up winning the semifinal match in straight sets 7-6(2) 6-0. At those 5-1, it was Kvitova’s serve and the Czech had three set points. However, Zvonareva’s key to success was to focus on her game and not worry about the score:

I don't even remember being down 5-1 in the first set! I wasn't really thinking about it at all. I was just trying to find my rhythm – I couldn't find it in the beginning, and she was playing really well.

Despite the loss, Kvitova will make a Top 5 debut in the new rankings on Monday.

As for the semifinal between No.9 seed Agnieszka Radwanska and No.3 seed Victoria Azarenka, Radwanska first took the lead and looked to be close to a straight set victory at 6-3 4-2. However, Azarenka won four straight games and forced the third set. Still, Radwanska was the eventual winner, 6-3 4-6 6-2. (source: WTA Tour, photos: © Neal Trousdale)

Maria Sharapova injured her ankle while serving at 3-4 against Petra Kvitova in Tokyo quarterfinals and was unable to continue the match because her ankle showed immediate signs of swelling. In other Tokyo news, Maria Kirilenko, who knocked out newly-crowned US Open champion Samantha Stosur in the second round and then 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, was eliminated by fourth-seeded Vera Zvonareva in the quarters.

Sharapova had a chance to possibly overtake the No.1 ranking from Caroline Wozniacki if:

1) she reached the final in Tokyo and

2) followed it with a Beijing title.

Read more »

Unseeded Maria Kirilenko continued her surge through the Tokyo draw, following up her upset of fresh US Open champion Samantha Stosur with a 6-3 6-1 victory over 12th seed Ana Ivanovic in the third round.

One break of serve was enough for Kirilenko to take the first set, in which she herself fended off three break points. The 27th-ranked Russian then dominated the second set, winning 91% of points on first serve and breaking Ivanovic three times.

Another seeded player is Kirilenko's next obstacle – her quarterfinal opponent will be fourth seed Vera Zvonareva, who beat Iveta Benesova 6-1 6-2 in the third round. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

Millionaire athletes Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy have been dating for a couple of months and they like to share a portion of their relationship with the media. In August we witnessed a very public kiss and now Caroline is bragging on Twitter about a personalized golf club her golfer boyfriend gave her.

Is this a new trend, to make up a couple name? This couple is called Wozzilroy and Caroline is already using it on Twitter with a hashtag. Read more »

Samantha Stosur and Maria Kirilenko met in the fourth round of the US Open this month and played one of the most exciting matches of the tournament featuring the longest tiebreak in Grand Slam history. Then the winner was Stosur with a 6-2 6-7(15) 6-3 score and afterwards the Australian defeated Vera Zvonareva, Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams to claim her first major title.

In today's match at the $2,050,000 Toray Pan Pacific Open Kirilenko found revenge and defeated the sixth-seeded Stosur in what was another close encounter, 6-2 4-6 6-4. The 27th-ranked Kirilenko moved to the third round where she will face Ana Ivanovic, even though Stosur came back from a break down to win the second set and from a 4-2 deficit to 4-4 in the third set. (source: WTA Tour, photo: © Neal Trousdale)

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.

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 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)

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki had a very short quarterfinal as sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska retired with left foot injury after 29 minutes at 5-0 down. Wozniacki was trailing by the same score against Aleksandra Wozniak last year in the second round of Tokyo and had to retire with a viral infection.

The 20-year-old Wozniacki could rise from No.2 to No.1 in the rankings for the first time if she wins the Toray Pan Pacific Open and reaches the quarterfinals of the next week’s China Open in Beijing.

The Dane's opponent in the semifinals will be No.8 seed Victoria Azarenka, who ended the successful run of qualifier Coco Vandeweghe 6-2 6-1.

The other semifinal pair includes fifth seed Francesca Schiavone and seventh seed Elena Dementieva. The Italian defeated Kaia Kanepi 7-5 4-6 7-5 in the quarters, the Russian beat compatriot and No.2 seed Vera Zvonareva 7-5 6-2. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)