Ana Ivanovic

Serbia put aside the absence of Jelena Jankovic, and a crushing defeat for stand-in Aleksandra Krunic in the day’s opening rubber, to sweep into the semifinals of Fed Cup by BNP Paribas with victory over Belgium.

Not only does the win book their place in the last four of the competition, which will mean a trip to Russia, but it also represents a first-ever victory in the top tier of Fed Cup. Incidentally, their only previous tie in the World Group ended in defeat to Russia in 2010, following failure in the deciding doubles.

Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium won in straight sets Saturday, leaving this opening-round Fed Cup series tied after the first day.

Jankovic, once ranked No. 1, beat Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 7-5. Wickmayer then downed Bojana Jovanovski 6-4, 6-4.

Kim Clijsters decided to sit out the opening round for Belgium in her farewell season. Serbia is without former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic.

Maria Sharapova routed Silvia Soler-Espinosa, 6-2, 6-1, in the opening singles match to give Russia a 1-0 lead over Spain in their Fed Cup first-round series in Moscow. Sharapova, a three-time Grand Slam champion, was playing for Russia for the third time. She won both her singles matches against Israel in 2008. She lost in opening singles against France last year. The two-time major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova was to play against Spain’s Carla Suárez Navarro in the second singles match Saturday.

Maria Sharapova will be looking to fire Russia in their Fed Cup World Group opener against Spain this weekend as she returns to freezing Moscow after her run in the sun to the Australian Open final.

Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev was spoilt for choice for the tie on the indoor hard surface of Moscow's Olympic Stadium and has opted for world number three Sharapova for singles duty alongside 19th-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Newly crowned Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka believes women's tennis is in for a fascinating 12 months as a new generation challenges the supremacy of the established stars.

Azarenka's 6-3, 6-0 win over three-time grand slam winner Maria Sharapova was the 22-year-old's first triumph at a major championships, and will also put her the top of the next women's rankings list released on Monday.

FROM one Wimbledon-winning Czech-born left-hander to another, former No. 1 Martina Navratilova believes No. 1-in-waiting Petra Kvitova could be the breakout star the sport needs.

Navratilova has tipped an Australian Open final between Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka, with Kim Clijsters hurting and Serena Williams out in the fourth round.

She's been called the future of women's tennis and appears certain to be crowned world number one soon, but Petra Kvitova showed she was still a mere mortal at the Australian Open on Monday.

The Wimbledon champion unleashed her powerful serve and stinging ground strokes to see off a determined Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 7-6 (7/2), but not before an embarrassing air-swing that left the 22-year-old Czech decidedly red-faced.

SERENA WILLIAMS vowed to get back out on the practice court after crashing out of the Australian Open.

The 13-time Grand Slam winner, 30, made error after error in her 6-2 6-3 defeat to Russian Ekaterina Makarova.

It was the American's first defeat in Melbourne since her quarter-final defeat to Jelena Jankovic in 2008.

Williams said: "I am always thinking about things I can do better next time around. That's usually how I respond.

Petra Kvitova doesn’t mind flying under the radar. On Monday afternoon at the Australian Open, the Wimbledon champion and world No.2 breezed her way into the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 7-6 (2) win over Serbian glamour girl and former No.1 Ana Ivanovic.

Kvitova, who is an astounding 21-3 since a disastrous first-round loss at the US Open in August, has advanced to her second straight quarterfinal appearance at Melbourne Park. She’ll take on an unseeded player in the quarterfinals: No.48 Sara Errani.

World number two Petra Kvitova shrugged off the embarrassment of one of the worst missed shot of the tournament to advance to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday with a 6-2 7-6 victory over former world number one Ana Ivanovic.

The 21-year-old Wimbledon champion was lining up her second successive smash to win the point in the ninth game of the second set but totally mistimed the shot and the ball bounced off her arm to gift Ivanovic the game.