A red hot Rafael Nadal ended a seven-match losing streak against Novak Djokovic in emphatic fashion by thrashing the world number two 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the final of the Madrid Open and move within a step of a third consecutive clay-court title.
Maria Sharapova marched into the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open after crushing Australian Samantha Stosur 6-3, 6-2 on Friday to set up a last four meeting with fellow-Russian Vera Zvonareva.
The Cincinnati Open claimed two more high-profile victims on Thursday with Grand Slam champions Li Na and Petra Kvitova crashing out, while Russian pair Maria Sharapova and Vera Zvonareva crunched their opponents en route to the quarter-finals.
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Images from the football matches played across Europe on Wednesday.
Caroline Wozniacki celebrated in defeat on Wednesday after injured Russian Maria Sharapova's withdrawal from the season-ending WTA Championships made sure the Dane would end the year as World No 1.
Fourth seed Vera Zvonareva bundled Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova out of the Pan Pacific Open with a 7-6, 6-0 victory on Friday to book a place in the Tokyo finals. The Russian faces Agnieszka Radwanska for the title on Saturday after the Pole beat Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 under a setting sun in the second semi-final.
French striker Karim Benzema was heard as a witness several months ago in an investigation over money laundering, a source close to the soccer player said on Friday, confirming a report by French daily Liberation.
Russia's Maria Sharapova will face Serbia's Jelena Jankovic in the Cincinnati Open final after the pair enjoyed solid victories in their semi-finals on Saturday. Sharapova recovered from a poor start to beat fellow-Russian and world number two Vera Zvonareva 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach her fourth final of the season while Jankovic beat Germany's Andrea Petkovic 7-6, 6-1.
Two surprise Grand Slam final appearances have given Vera Zvonareva the world number two ranking and the confidence to go one better at the Australian Open, but remarkably, the Russian remains saddled with the 'dark horse' tag.
Sania Mirza and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina advanced to the pre-quarter-finals of the Madrid Open with a come-from-behind win over the eighth seeded Czech team of Iveta Benesova and Barbora Strycova Zahlavova. The unseeded Indo-Russia combination scored a 3-6, 6-1, 10-2 win over their opponents in the first round of the euro 3,500,000 clay-court event.
French Open champion Li Na played like a 'junior' while Vera Zvonareva, Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova were all also sent packing after rusty performances in the third round at the Toronto Cup on Thursday.
Agnieszka Radwanska won the biggest hard court title of her career when she upset world number three Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-3 6-4 to win the San Diego Open on Sunday.
The Catalans are overwhelming favourites to win the game and have an outstanding home record in the Champions League, remaining unbeaten at the Nou Camp in the competition since losing to Bayern Munich in 2013.
Champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from January's Australian Open as she struggles to recover from a foot injury, which has sidelined her since July, organisers said on Thursday.
'It is safe to consume cooked non-vegetarian food.'
Vera Zvonareva was a shock finalist at Wimbledon last year but 12 months on it would be no surprise if the Russian repeated her feat at the All England Club over the next fortnight.
Serena Williams let victory slip from her grasp but gained plenty in defeat at the Eastbourne grasscourt tournament on Wednesday while sister Venus continued her winning return after a five-month injury layoff.
Samantha Stosur's win over world number one Caroline Wozniacki was not the only surprise for an unsuspecting crowd at the WTA Championships, where music, dance and even a frightened feline vied with the tennis for attention.
Images from Day 8 at the French Open in Paris, on Sunday.
Novak Djokovic says his unbeaten run is down to his special, gluten-free diet and now Sabine Lisicki hopes she too will benefit in the long run after discovering she is allergic to wheat products.
A healthy skin is the first step towards a confident self, which makes for a proud bride on the D-day.
Belgium's Kim Clijsters wasted little time in flattening second seed Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-3 with an awesome display of power tennis to reach her second Australian Open final on Thursday.
World number one Caroline Wozniacki survived an early scare to win 10 straight games and crush German Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday for a spot in the last four of the Stuttgart Grand Prix.
Tata Steel's European arm, Corus, the second-largest steel maker on that continent, has appointed Citibank to help find a suitable buyer for its beleaguered Teesside Cast Products factory in northeast Britain.
Sania Mirza qualified for the singles main draw of the Family Circle Cup, a WTA event, after scoring a straight sets win over Ukraine's Olga Savchuk.
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.
World number one Caroline Wozniacki reeled off 12 successive games to ease into the semi-finals of the Qatar Open after a 6-2, 6-0 demolition of Italian Flavia Pennetta on Thursday.
World number one Caroline Wozniacki moved into the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Russian Nadia Petrova but third seed Francesca Schiavone was upset by China's Peng Shuai on Wednesday.
It was Messi's 30th goal in 39 competitive games against Atletico
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Russian Vera Zvonareva, Czech Petra Kvitova and Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova -- names that are barely household names in their native towns let alone in the wider world -- earned their golden tickets to the semi-finals after a day of topsy-turvy tennis at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Karim Benzema netted a second-half hat-trick as Real Madrid got back to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Sunday.
Rafael Nadal and Kim Clijsters swept into the Australian Open third round on Thursday as Serbia's Jelena Jankovic became the first top-10 player to exit the tournament. After three days of scares but no upsets at Melbourne Park, former world number one Jankovic, the seventh seed, was dumped out 7-6, 6-3 by Chinese upstart Peng Shuai.
World number one Caroline Wozniacki's preparations for the Australian Open suffered a major setback when she was knocked out of the Sydney International in her first competitive match of the year on Tuesday.
Kim Clijsters captured her third US Open singles title after thrashing Russia's Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-1 in Saturday's final.
Samantha Stosur underlined her credentials for next month's French Open by crushing Russia's Vera Zvonareva 6-0, 6-3 in Sunday's final of the Family Circle Cup to claim her second WTA Tour title.
Atletico Madrid earned a 1-1 draw away to Girona in a chaotic and entertaining Copa del Rey last 16 first-leg match on Wednesday, leaving the tie finely balanced.
Top-seed Jelena Jankovic and second seed Caroline Wozniacki suffered surprise third-round exits in the Cincinnati Open on Thursday.
