Serena beats Azarenka to win Rome

Serena Williams of the US captures the fourth title in a row beating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the final of The Internazionali BNL d'Italia 2013. Williams outclassed the Belorussian 6-1,6-3 to claim her second Rome title. World number one is unbeaten since Doha and won Miami, Charleston and Madrid back to back. The American also extends her career best winning streak to 24 matche

Azarenka to play Williams in Rome final

Serena Williams crushed Romanian qualifier Simona Halep 6-3,6-0 to book her place in the women's final and extend her winning streak to 23 matches. Williams will face Victoria Azarenka in Sunday's final after the third seed beat last year's French Open finalist Sara Errani 6-0,7-5.

Azarenka, Halep book last spots for semis

 Victoria Azarenka survived her quarter final match against Sam Stosur 6-4,1-6,6-3 at Italy Open. Azarenka will take on Italy's Sara Errani in her semi final on Saturday. Qualifier Simona Halep saved two match points to beat Jelena Jankovic in another quarter final match  4-6,6-0,7-5. It's Halep's first semi final appearance in a premier 5 event.

Serena extends winning streak

Serena Williams extended her winning streak to a career-best 22 matches and reached the Italian Open semifinals by beating Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-0 Friday. Williams had twice won 21 in a row before, although both of those streaks came more than a decade ago, in 2002 and 2003.

Sharapova withdraws from Italy Open

Two-time defending champion Maria Sharapova has withdrawn before her Italian Open quarterfinal match against seventh-seeded Sara Errani because of illness. Sharapova says on Twitter that she ''didn't recover after being sick last week and it got me again last night.'' The withdrawal means Errani advances to the semifinals. Her opponent will be either third-seeded Victoria Azarenka or ninth-seeded Sam Stosur.

WTA Rome Third Round Results

 Serena Williams def. Dominica Cibulkova 6-0,6-1
Carla Suarez Navarro def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-2,6-3
Simona Halep def. Robreta Vinci 6-4,6-2
Jelena Jankovic def. Li Na 7-6,7-5
Sam Stosur def. Petra Kvitova 7-5,2-6,6-1
Victoria Azarenka def. Ayumi Morita 6-1,2-0 ret.
Sara Errani def. Maria Kirilenko 6-3,2-0 ret.
Maria Sharapova def. Sloane Stephens 6-2,6-1

Sharapova, Li, Azarenka ease into round 3

Maria Sharapova, Li Na and Victoria Azarenka sailed through their second round matches with straight set victories to enter round 3 of Italy Open. Sharapova, two time defending champion, never faced a break point in her 6-2 6-2 win over Garbine Muguruza of Spain while China's Li Na went through with a 6-3 6-1 win over compatriot Zheng Jie. Azarenka won her opener over German's Julia Goerges 6-2,6-0

Rome campaign starts

Serena eyes for her second Rome title

 

Top seed Serena Williams of the USA opened her Internazionali BNL d’Italia campaign with easy straight-set win over her second-round rival Laura Robson of the Great Britain. Robson, who knocked out elder Williams sister in the first round, lost to the world number one 6-2,6-2. Serena will play either Melanie Oudin or Dominika Cibulkova next.

Biggest upset so far

Romanian qualifier Simona Halep defeated the fourth-seeded Polish Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets 6-7 (2-7),6-1,6-2 to place in the third round. Radwanska, who suffered an opening round exit in Madrid last week, is yet to win a match on red clay this year. meanwhile Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova survived her second round match over German's Sabine Lisicki 6-4,0-6,7-5

First round results 

 

Laura Robson def. Venus Williams 6-3,6-2
Melanie Oudin def. Eketerina Makarova 2-6,7-5,4-2 ret.
Domanika Cibulkova def. Kristina Mladenovic 1-6,6-2,6-2
Carla Suarez Navarro def. Nadia Petrova 3-6,6-2,7-6
Romina Oprandi def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2,6-0
Yanina Wickmayer def. Kirsten Flipkens 6-4,6-0
Simona Halep def. Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1,6-1
Nastassja Burnett def. Alize Cornet 6-2,6-2
Robreta Vinci def.Elena Vesnina 6-7,7-5,6-4
Bojana Jovanovski def. Caroline Wozniacki 2-6,6-4,7-6
Jelena Jankovic def. Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3,6-0
Zheng Jie def. Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6,6-3
Sabine Lisicki def. Mallory Burdette 6-1,6-2
Shuai Peng def. Monica Niculescu 4-6,6-3,6-2
Samantha Stosur def. Su Wei Hsieh 6-2,6-3
Ayumi Morita def. Sorana Cirstea 6-1,6-3
Julia Goerges def. Andrea Hlavackova 2-6,6-4,6-4
Christina McHale def. Karin Knapp 7-5,6-2
Varva Lepchenko def. Lesia Tsurenko 6-4,6-2
Maria Kirilenko def. Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3,6-3
Flavia Penetta def. Sloane Stephens 6-3,6-3
Kiki Bertens def. Francesca Schiavone 7-6,6-1
Garbine Muguruza def. Mathilde Johansson 1-6,6-0,6-2
Urszula Radwanska def. Ana Ivanovic 6-3,2-6,6-2

Anastasija Sevastova retires at age of 23

23 year old Latvian Anastasija Sevastova has announced her retirement from the game after illness and injuries in the past couple of years.

"Dear all, I want to inform you about my latest decision - retirement from professional tennis. Because of almost three years of continuing illnesses, injuries and the related problems, I don't see myself carrying on in this complex sport at the highest possible level. I am and will always be grateful for everything tennis has given to me. Thank you to the WTA and the ITF for the support - and my most sincere wishes of success to everybody involved in tennis."

Sevastova is the only Latvian in the last 20 years to win a WTA title. She won the Estoril title in 2010. She has beaten top players like Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Samantha Stosur.

50 for Serena Williams

Serena Williams of the USA successfully defended Mutua Madrid Open title and protected her world number one ranking beating the number two Maria Sharapova of Russia. Sharapova, who never lost a match on clay since she lost to Williams in Madrid last year, was unable to challenge the strong hitting American, who prevailed 6-1,6-4 at the end. The title is recorded as her 50th career title and her seventh on clay.