World number one Victoria Azarenka's 26-match winning streak finally came to an end on Wednesday with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat to France's Marion Bartoli at the Sony Ericsson Open.
Serena Williams sounded an ominous warning to her rivals that she will be a genuine contender at the US Open after winning the Stanford Classic on Sunday in her third tournament back from injury.
American Serena Williams has also said that the dropouts will not take the shine off a potential record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title for her.
Germany's Angelique Kerber stunned home favourite Marion Bartoli 7-6, 5-7, 6-3 to win the Paris Open on Sunday and seal the first WTA tour title of her career.
Petra Kvitova and Tomas Berdych produced some impeccable tennis to give the Czech Republic the Hopman Cup with a 2-0 win over France in the final on Saturday.
Top seed Marion Bartoli squandered two match points before she had to retire with an ankle injury in her opening match at the Tournament of Champions against Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues.
Top seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and 15th-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli advanced smoothly to the final of the Indian Wells WTA tournament with commanding victories on Friday.
French second seed Marion Bartoli enjoyed two match wins in one day, including a straight-sets defeat of US Open champion Samantha Stosur, to take the Japan Open title on Sunday.
Fourth seed Marion Bartoli began her final warm-up to the US Open in impressive style by blasting Australian qualifier Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-4 in first round action at the New Haven Open on Monday.
France's Marion Bartoli and Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova suffered shock first-round exits from the Rogers Cup as the two seeded players were eliminated on Monday by a pair of gritty qualifiers.
Maria Sharapova clawed her way out of trouble to beat Marion Bartoli 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday and reach the semi-finals of the US Open for the first time in six years.
Fans turning up for the Wimbledon women's quarter-finals might have been forgiven for feeling a little short-changed by Tuesday's lineup yet the action served up by some of the sport's lesser lights was undoubtedly worth the ticket.
The Williams sisters Serena and Venus fell by the wayside in the fourth round at Wimbledon on Monday. Defending champion Serena was beaten 6-3, 7-6 by Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli while five-time champion Venus was outplayed by Bulgaria's Tsvetsana Pironkova 6-2, 6-3.
Sixth seed Marion Bartoli overcame blustery winds, a groin injury and a determined fightback from Czech Petra Kvitova to win the Eastbourne grasscourt Wimbledon warmup tournament 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 on Saturday.
Several Bollywood celebrities took part in the 12th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon on January 18.
China's Li Na overcame Maria Sharapova 6-4, 7-5 in Thursday's first semi-final and boosted her bid to become the first Asian to win a Grand Slam singles title, while Francesca Schiavone got the better of Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-3 in the second semi-final.
Top-seed Jelena Jankovic and second seed Caroline Wozniacki suffered surprise third-round exits in the Cincinnati Open on Thursday.
Australia's gruelling summer conditions claimed three more victims on Monday when Vera Zvonareva, Victoria Azarenka and Marion Bartoli all pulled out of the Sydney International because of injury and illness.
Top seed Caroline Wozniacki held off a spirited fightback by Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli to win her 14th WTA title with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory in the Indian Wells final on Sunday.
France's Marion Bartoli shrugged off a stomach bug to reach the Indian Wells WTA tournament's semi-finals with a 6-4, 7-6 victory over former world number one Ana Ivanovic on Wednesday.
Top seed Caroline Wozniacki battled her way into the last eight at the Indian Wells WTA tournament on Tuesday while twice champion Kim Clijsters retired hurt with a painful shoulder.
Dane Wozniacki avenged defeats in her last two meetings with Marion Bartoli by thrashing the Frenchwoman 6-1, 6-1 while second seed Zvonareva battled past fifth seed and former world number one Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.
French Open champion Li Na has blamed her perplexing slump on her sudden celebrity status -- and her irritation at being yelled at by her husband.
Holder Marion Bartoli advanced to the quarter-finals of the Stanford Classic on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over former world number one Ana Ivanovic, while Maria Sharapova also advanced to the last eight. Russian Sharapova, a three-times Grand Slam winner, beat Belarus's Olga Govortsova 6-3, 6-3 while Maria Kirilenko defeated sixth seed Shahar Peer 6-4, 6-3.
Roger Federer escaped being blown off course during an uncharacteristically haphazard 7-6, 7-6 third round win over Florent Serra at a blustery Sony Ericsson Open on Monday.
A gale force in the shape of Roger Federer blew aside local favourite Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 on a blustery Tuesday at the French Open as the Swiss set up a mouth-watering French Open semi-final with Novak Djokovic.
Indian qualifier Sania Mirza edged past Vania King in a three-set battle to book a pre-quarterfinal berth in the WTA Family Circle Cup in Charleston, USA.
Top seed Jelena Jankovic was knocked out of the Australian Open fourth round by an aggressive Marion Bartoli on Sunday. The Frenchwoman capitalised on the Serbian's poor service game and blasted winners at every opportunity before she ended the world number one's misery 6-1, 6-4 in just 82 minutes.
Aravane Rezai won the Tournament of Champions in Bali on Sunday when top seed Marion Bartoli retired with a quad injury after losing the first set 7-5.
Marion Bartoli will play Aravane Rezai in an all-French final at the Tournament of Champions in Bali after both claimed straight-sets victories on Saturday.
Former world number one Amelie Mauresmo had to forfeit her Brisbane International semi-final against compatriot Marion Bartoli Friday after receiving treatment on her lower back and left leg. The Frenchwoman, who had stunned top seed Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-finals on Thursday, was serving at 0-4 when she called for the trainer.
The Indian tennis ace made the grade after Argentina's Marian Bartoli conceded their quarter-final when trailing 4-6, 0-2 in Osaka on Friday.
Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza sailed into the quarter-finals of the Japan Open after notching up a straight sets victory over Ukraine's Viktoriya Kutuzova in Osaka, on Wednesday. Sania defeated Kutuzova 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 23 minutes to set up a tough quarter-final against second-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli.
Former world number one Maria Sharapova stormed into the Pan Pacific Open semi-finals by outfoxing Czech Iveta Benesova 6-4 7-5 on Thursday.
Ana Ivanovic and Vera Zvonareva had contrasting victories on Saturday to reach the final of the Linz Open.
Kim Clijsters made a stunning return to tennis after a two-year absence when she beat world number 13 Marion Bartoli of France 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the Cincinnati Open on Monday. The former world number one, who gave birth to her first child in February of last year, outplayed the former Wimbledon runner-up in one hour, 22 minutes.
Fixtures from the US Open Women's Singles Round 1 matches
France's Marion Bartoli upset American Venus Williams 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 to win the Stanford Classic on Sunday.
Canadian qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak captured her first career title by defeating sixth seed Marion Bartoli of France 7-5, 6-3 in the final of the Stanford Classic.
Venus Williams thrashed Anastasia Rodionova 6-3, 6-0 in the first round of the San Diego Classic.