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)