Second seed Serena Williams recovered from match point down to beat Russian fourth seed Elena Dementieva 6-7, 7-5, 8-6 in a nailbiting semi-final at Wimbledon on Thursday.
A look at the 'grunt' factor in women's tennis.
Number one seed Elena Dememtieva reached the final of the Paris Indoor Open for the second year running on Saturday when she recovered from a set down to beat 18-year-old American Melanie Oudin 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The Russian, ranked number seven in the world, will face Lucie Safarova in the final after the Czech also came from a set down to overturn the Italian second seed Flavia Pennetta 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Olympic champion Elena Dementieva began her warm-up for Wimbledon with a swift 6-2, 6-2 win over fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko at the Eastbourne International on Monday.
Sania Mirza quelled a late challenge from world number 49 and 11th seed Anne Keothavong to sail into the pre-quarter-finals of the US $220,000 WTA Aegon Classic in Birmingham on Wednesday. The unseeded Indian beat the British No 1 6-1, 7-6(5) in the second round after battling it out for one hour and 27 minutes.
Serena Williams continued her love affair with Melbourne by easing to an emphatic 6-3, 6-4 victory over an in-form Elena Dementieva to advance to a fourth Australian Open final in Melbourne on Thursday. The 27-year-old Williams will meet another Russian in the title match, taking on third seed Dinara Safina, who overpowered compatriot Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 7-6.
Second seed Serena Williams admitted closing the roof on Rod Laver Arena because of the soaring temperatures helped her battle back from a first set deficit to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday. The American's victory prevented a Russian sweep of the Australian Open semi-finals and she will now play Elena Dementieva in the last four on Thursday.
Elena Dementieva downplayed any suggestions she was the favourite for the Australian Open title after she romped into the quarter-finals with a 6-2 6-2 demolition of Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova on Monday. The victory, in just 76 minutes, was the 14th in a row for the fourth-seeded Russian, who won the Auckland and Sydney tournaments before arriving at Melbourne Park. She is unbeaten in 2009 and plays Spain's unseeded Carla Suarez Navarro in the last eight.
Andy Roddick produced a sizzling display to reach the fourth round of the French Open for the first time but Elena Dementieva's hopes of winning a maiden grand slam title fizzled out on Saturday.
Russian fourth seed Elena Dementieva was shown the exit at the French Open with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 defeat by Australian Samantha Stosur in the third round in Paris on Saturday. The Olympic champion, who benefited from Jelena Dokic's retirement in the previous round while she was one set down, bowed out after two hours 12 minutes.
Andy Murray maintained his hot start to the year as he led Britain into the final of the Hopman Cup with a 2-1 victory over Russia on Friday. The Scot put on a masterful display to crush Igor Andreev 6-1, 6-0 after Murray's teammate Laura Robson had been beaten 6-4, 6-0 by Elena Dementieva. Murray then joined his 15-year-old partner to beat the Russians 6-4, 6-7, 10-6 in the deciding mixed doubles.
Elena Dementieva beat fellow Russian Dinara Safina 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in the final of the Sydney International on Friday to complete a perfect buildup to next week's Australian Open.
The Russian revolution that has swept women's tennis has not gone according to plan for Elena Dementieva. Dementieva was once touted as the woman most likely to lead the charge after she made the French and US Open finals in 2004, but her achievements have largely been undermined by her own compatriots.
Spain's Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic of Serbia have been confirmed as the top seeds for this year's Australian Open, which begins on Monday.
Sania Mirza and her partner Chia-Jung Chuang advanced to the semifinals of the USD 4,500,000 Madrid Open after Russian-Belarussian duo of Victoria Azarenka and Elena Vesnina conceded their quarterfinal match in Madrid.
Sania Mirza and her partner Chia-Jung Chuang of Chinese Taipei have upset second seeded Spanish pair of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual to enter the women's doubles quarterfinal of the Madrid Open event.
World number one Dinara Safina took a first step towards a second consecutive claycourt title by battling to a 6-3, 7-6 victory over Li Na at the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
A noticeable presence of protestors outside the venue failed to stop Olympic champion Elena Dementieva from marching into the semi-finals of the Auckland Classic on Thursday.
Angelique Kerber displayed her grit and vaunted fitness as she battled back to beat France's Pauline Parmentier 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in scorching heat on Monday to reach the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Italian Flavia Pennetta caused an upset by beating third seed Jelena Jankovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Stuttgart Grand Prix quarter-finals on Friday.
Former Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli beat seventh seed Caroline Wozniacki 7-6, 6-4 at the Stuttgart Grand Prix on Thursday to set up a quarter-final against world number three Elena Dementieva. World number one Dinara Safina also moved into the last eight with a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 win over Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and will now meet Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska.
In-form Dane Caroline Wozniacki upset top seed Elena Dementieva 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 on Saturday to reach the final of the Family Circle Cup where she will meet another teenager in German Sabine Lisicki.
Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova shocked fifth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva 6-4, 6-2 to reach the Montreal Cup third round on Tuesday. Dementieva was joined at the exit door by eighth-seeded compatriot Vera Zvonareva, who was upset 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 by Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano.
World number one Serena Williams struggled to a 7-5 5-7 6-3 win over China's Zheng Jie on Monday to earn a place in the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open.
Japan's Kei Nishikori and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus continued their Australian Open preparations by swiftly marching through to the quarter finals of the Brisbane International on Wednesday.
Pre-tournament favourites Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva suffered shock defeats in the second round of the WTA event in Indian Wells on Saturday.
Indian ace Sania Mirza grabbed the last spot to be seeded 32nd at the Wimbledon championhips.
Venus Williams avoided another early exit with a routine win over fellow American Alison Riske at the Volvo Car Open in South Carolina while Swiss second seed Belinda Bencic was ousted by Russian qualifier Elena Vesnina.
Local favourite Amelie Mauresmo confirmed her return to form when she beat Russian third seed Elena Dementieva 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 to clinch her third Paris Open title on Sunday.
Local favourite Amelie Mauresmo reached the final of the Paris Open with a 6-2, 0-6, 6-1 victory over second seed Jelena Jankovic on Saturday. The Frenchwoman, who won the tournament in 2001 and 2006, next faces Olympic champion Elena Dementieva after the third seed from Russia went through when Serena Williams pulled out injured.
World number one Serena Williams has pulled out injured of the Paris Open before her semi-final against Russian Elena Dementieva on Saturday.
World number one Serena Williams stepped up her bid for a third Paris Open title by reaching the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Emilie Loit on Friday. The American, winner here in 1999 and 2003, next plays Olympic champion Elena Dementieva after the Russian saw off another Frenchwoman, Nathalie Dechy, 6-3, 6-2.
Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva proved too strong for an understrength Chinese team and handed the champions a 2-0 lead in their Fed Cup first round tie on Saturday.
A lack of aggression cost Elena Dementieva her 15-match winning streak and a place in the Australian Open final, but the Russian has no regrets. Dementieva arrived at Melbourne Park having triumphed at events in Auckland and Sydney, but under the roof on Rod Laver Arena she was unable to replicate her best form against a powerful Serena Williams seeking a fourth title here.
Russia's Elena Dementieva battled her way through brutal conditions to beat unseeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2 in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday. Both players struggled in the scorching heat as the temperature approached 40 degrees Celsius but it was the more experienced Dementieva who coped best.
With a heavy rain expected to hit Flushing Meadows later in the day, Serb Jankovic relied on her trademark dogged retrieving to beat Russian Elena Dementieva 6-4, 6-4 before the muscular Williams swept away Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-2 in the women's singles semi-finals at the US Open.
Moody's expects growth in G-20 advanced countries to be stable at 1.8 per cent for 2016.
Svetlana Kuznetsova reached the final of the Dubai Championships by beating Serbian fourth seed Jelena Jankovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
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