Former world number one Maria Sharapova was beaten 6-2, 6-2 by Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko in the quarter-finals of the Warsaw Open on Thursday. Russian Sharapova was making her comeback at the tournament after a shoulder injury had prevented her playing singles since last August.
Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko came from a set down to win their first women's doubles title at the Australian Open.
The third-seeded Australian, who missed several months after suffering a virus that upset her balance, was beaten 6-4, 6-2 at the Bali International.
The 16-year-old Ukrainian star beat Ipek Senoglu of Turkey to win the first senior title of her career in the ITF tournament.
World No 2 Caroline Wozniacki produced an erratic performance to fall 6-2, 6-3 to Alona Bondarenko in the second round of the Madrid Open on Tuesday.
The India ace will meet the Ukraine lass in final qualifying round of the Acura Classic tennis tournament in San Diego.
Third seed Venus Williams's return to Canada ended in a shock 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 second-round defeat by Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko at the Toronto Cup on Tuesday.
'It seems that athletes from these countries (Russia and Belarus) do not understand at all why they are now being disqualified from competitions all over the world.'
Barcelona fought back to earn a 2-2 draw with Manchester United in a pulsating Europa League knockout round playoff first leg on Thursday.
Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova, holder Daniela Hantuchova and second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova reached the Pacific Life Open quarter-finals in contrasting styles on Tuesday. Fourth seed Sharapova, winner at Indian Wells in 2006, maintained her perfect start to the season but had to work hard to beat Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko 6-2 5-7 6-4.
Murray, who is attempting to return to the top of the tennis world after undergoing hip surgery in January, was out of sorts in the first set of the rain-delayed match, losing three service games behind some uncharacteristically soft second serves.
The Sania-Mara duo will now face the Slovak-Swiss pair of Janette Husarova and Patty Schnyder to reach the semi-finals.
While Mahesh Bhupathi and Wesley Moodie were ousted in the second round in Rotterdam
The Indian ace beat Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko in straight sets to advance to the main draw of the Acura Classic.
A big prize is up for grabs and competition in fierce in the world of athletics as Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man, joined world high jump champion Bohdan Bondarenko and double Olympic and world 10,000 and 5,000 metres champion Mo Farah in the shortlist for the male Athlete of the Year award announced on Monday.
Sania Mirza continued her winning run as she entered the women's doubles semifinals of the Hobart International
Three fancied players did succumb on a cheerless day.
Images from Day 3 of the 2020 US Open in New York, on Wednesday.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the Australian Open in Melbourne, on Friday.
Russia's Elena Dementieva became the latest high-profile casualty at the Pan Pacific Open when the third seed was upset by Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko in the second round on Tuesday.
World number two Serena Williams raced into the quarter-finals of the Toronto Cup on Thursday with a 6-1, 6-4 demolition of Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko. Williams needed only 64 minutes on a blustery centre court to dispose of the world number 33 and restore a bit of family honour after the Ukrainian's sister Kateryna had knocked out older sibling Venus in the second round.
Holder Venus Williams launched her bid for a sixth Wimbledon title with a competitive 6-3, 6-2 victory over Swiss teenager Stefanie Voegele on Tuesday.
Williams, a record 23-times Grand Slam champion, will be returning to the All England Club for the first time since giving birth to her daughter last September.
Ana Ivanovic discovered there was no where to hide at Flushing Meadows as she slumped out of the US Open in the first round with a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 defeat by Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko on Tuesday.
Kim Clijsters's comeback gathered pace on Wednesday when the former world number one beat Swiss Patty Schnyder 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round of the Cincinnati Open. Second seed Serena Williams, who holds three of the four Grand Slam titles, also advanced to the third round after overpowering Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-3, 6-2.
Indian tennis star Sania Mirza received a confidence booster ahead of the US Open Grand Slam tournament beginning, on Monday, with a doubles title victory at the Connecticut Open with Monica Niculescu of Romania, in New Haven, USA.
Jamaican sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was shortlisted alongside shot putter Valerie Adams and hurdler Zuzana Hejnova for the female Athlete of the Year award on Tuesday.
Top-seeded Maria Sharapova advanced to the semi-finals of the Amelia Island championships after a 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko. The Australian Open champion will meet former world No 1 Lindsay Davenport. The American beat Hungary's Agnes Szavay 6-4 7-6, while Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova will play Alize Cornet in the other semi-final. Cornet beat Virginie Razzano 6-4, 6-2 while Cibulkova beat France's Amelie Mauresmo 6-1, 7-6.
Israel's Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram won their first grand slam title with a 7-5, 7-6 victory over Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra in the Australian Open men's doubles final on Saturday.
World number one Dinara Safina overcame a gutsy fightback from Lucie Safarova to beat the unseeded Czech 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 and seal a place in the last eight of the Madrid Open on Thursday. Top seed Safina will play Alona Bondarenko on Friday for a place in the last four after the Ukrainian beat Russian Anna Chakvetadze 6-0, 2-6, 6-3 earlier in the day.
Sania Mirza was dumped in the first round of the Ponte Vedra Beach championships in Miami on Monday by seventh seed Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine. The Indian ace lost 4-6, 3-6, even as 14-year-old American Madison Keys won on her WTA Tour debut, scoring a 7-5, 6-4 first round win over Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva.
Nadia Petrova lost 6-3, 6-3 to Italy's Mara Santangelo in the second round of the Warsaw Cup.
Chakvetadze, who this week qualified for the season-ending WTA Championships which begin in Madrid on Nov. 6, looked flat and barely competed against an aggressive opponent who took full advantage of the freedom she was given.
Roll of honour at the 2004 Wimbledon tennis championships.
Sania Mirza pulled out of the doubles event at the Qatar Open on Tuesday with a calf injury.
Wimbledon champion Venus Williams blasted past Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-1 6-2 on Friday to charge into the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
Second seed Daniela Hantuchova suffered a setback before next week's U.S. Open when she was beaten by a Hungarian qualifier in the second round of the WTA event in New Haven on Wednesday.
Qualifier Sunitha Rao put up a good fight before bowing to fifth seed Alona Bondarenko in the third round of women's singles at the US $200,000 DFS Classic in Birmingham on Friday. The Indian, at 160 in the WTA charts, was up against world No 29 and put up a spirited fight before losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 in a little over two hours.
Justine Henin eased to a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Alona Bondarenko in the rain-delayed final of the Warsaw Cup.
The third seeded Russian rallied to beat the American to reach the semi-finals of the Warsaw Cup.
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