Month of November , 2009

Caroline Wozniacki joined the WTA Championships casualty list when her hopes were shattered by a crippling stomach strain, but the bubbly blonde Dane showed she has plenty of guts for a fight.

The 19-year-old started 2009 at 12 in the world, but will finish at four while having also made the US Open semi-finals.

Furthermore, her resolve was tested when she was caught up in a WTA investigation after her controversial, injury-forced withdrawal from a low-key event in Luxembourg.

Serena Williams only needed 45 minutes to move into the final of the Sony Ericsson Championships - Doha 2009 on Saturday, winning the first set and losing the first game of the second before Caroline Wozniacki retired with a left abdominal strain. 

Qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine and first-time ATP World Tour finalist No. 8 seed Horacio Zeballos of Argentina meet for the first time on Sunday in the championship of the St. Petersburg Open. Both players defeated Russian opponents in the semi-finals. Stakhovsky is trying to become the third qualifier to capture an ATP World Tour title this year, while Zeballos is looking to become the sixth first-time winner on the ATP World Tour in 2009.

No. 3 seed and 2001 champion Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia meets wild card and Frenchman Michael Llodra on Sunday in the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon championship. Llodra won the previous meeting in the first round of Halle in June 2008. Both players have dropped one set and their serve once en route to the final. A Frenchman has reached the Lyon final for the fifth consecutive year and seventh time in the past eight years.

Top seed and wild card entry Marin Cilic of Croatia attempts to capture his third ATP World Tour title of the season as he faces No. 7 seed and local resident Jurgen Melzer in the Bank Austria Tennis Trophy on Sunday. Cilic has not dropped a set en route to the final while Melzer has lost one.

In the space of a single day, the United States Fed Cup team has gone from a strong shot to a long shot to capture its first Fed Cup championship since 2000.

U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez was counting on Serena Williams to play two singles matches and potentially partner Liezel Huber in a dream pairing of the world's top-ranked singles and doubles players, but today the 11-time Grand Slam champion dashed those hopes in abruptly withdrawing from next weekend's Fed Cup final against host Italy set for the red clay of Reggio Calabria.

The story has been going for more than a decade now but once again the final of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships will be the exclusive domain of the Williams sisters. And for one crucial reason; they are still the strongest players in the woman’s game and this week Venus and Serena have also proved to be the most durable.

Jurgen Melzer upset top seed Marin Cilic 6-4 6-3 in the final of the Vienna Open on Sunday to become the first home player to win the tournament for 21 years.

The Austrian, seeded seventh, enjoyed a comfortable win to claim the second ATP title of his career.

Cilic, ranked 13th, was a wildcard entry after U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro withdrew through injury.

Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky became the third qualifier to win an ATP World Tour title this season as he saved one match point to edge to a 2-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(7) victory over first-time finalist Horacio Zeballos Sunday at the St. Petersburg Open, an ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tennis tournament in Russia.

With seven of the eight quarter-finalists French at the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, it seemed likely the ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament would be celebrating a seventh French winner in its 23-year history. However, Croatian Ivan Ljubicic had not read the script and spoiled the French party Sunday as he defeated wild card Michael Llodra 7-5, 6-3 in the final.

Caroline Wozniacki joined the WTA Championships casualty list when her hopes were shattered by a crippling stomach strain, but the bubbly blonde Dane showed she has plenty of guts for a fight.

The 19-year-old started 2009 at 12 in the world, but will finish at four while having also made the US Open final.

Furthermore, her resolve was tested when she was caught up in a WTA investigation after her controversial, injury-forced withdrawal from a low-key event in Luxembourg.

Serena Williams secured a suitable finish to an astounding year that not long ago many felt was beyond her. Despite aches, pains and prominent bandages the world No1 showed again she was significantly better than any other player on the tour as she captured the round-robin WTA Championships title without losing a match.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) wants to investigate whether any charges can be brought against Andre Agassi following his admission that he lied after taking crystal meth in 1997 and failing a drugs test.

Agassi's revelations in extracts of his autobiography "Open", published last week in The Times newspaper in Britain, stunned the tennis world and cast a shadow over the eight-times grand slam champion's glittering career.

"All the world's a stage", Shakespeare wrote, and new author Serena Williams continued her habit of delivering her most potent performances on the game's most prestigious platforms.

In the 23rd installment of the Williams sisters' historic rivalry, Serena served with authoritative audacity on big points to dethrone defending Doha champion Venus, 6-2, 7-6(4), in 85 minutes. at the Khalifa Tennis Complex and capture the Sony Ericsson Championships title for the first time since 2001.

Press conferences are excellent for finding out how a player felt they did in their match, their form and what they think of their next opponent - but what about all of those completely unrelated questions? Here is the first of many random questions posed to several of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's brightest stars.

Who is your favorite men's player?

Caroline Wozniacki: "I have quite a few, but if I started naming names I'd be worried there'd be rumors I'm dating them!"

Serena Williams explained her decision to pull out of next week's Fed Cup final on Sunday, saying she was physically and mentally exhausted.

The 28-year-old, who has not played for the United States in the team competition since 2007, withdrew on Saturday, just days after being named in the squad to face Italy.

"I definitely really wanted to go, but I don't think I would do well physically," Williams, who beat sister Venus to win the WTA Championships on Sunday, told reporters.

On Halloween, Justine Henin will hold a comeback celebration with long-time coach Carlos Rodríguez at their 6th Sense Tennis Academy at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.

Roger Federer returns after six weeks off resting and easing into his new role as a father of twin girls when he headlines at his home event, the Swiss Indoors.

Andy Murray insists the revelation Andre Agassi took drugs during his career has not tarnished his opinion of his boyhood hero.

The former Wimbledon champion admitted in his autobiography he failed a test for crystal meth in 1997 and then lied about it to avoid a ban.

British number one Murray, who grew up idolising Agassi, revealed his surprise at the news but offered his support to the American.

This year’s Valencia Open 500 will be played for the first time at new facilities of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, one of the most unique places in Valencia. The latest addition to the venue, the Ágora building, will host the Centre Court for the tournament. Valencia is one of 11 ATP World Tour 500 level tournaments. There are six former champions in the field (see below), including five Spaniards. The tournament was played on clay prior to this year.