Sam Stosur takes out the defending champion.

Defenging champion Vera Zvonareva was defeated by Australian Sam Stosur in straight sets 6-3, 7-5. With the win Stosur will most likely make it into the top ten when the rankings are updated. She becomes the first female Aussie player to make the elite group since Alica Molik reached #8 in February 2005, and Jelana Dokic reached #10 in February 2002.

Alica Molik, (another Aussie on the comeback trail) who entered the Indian Wells event with a wild card entry went down in a third set tie-breaker to Jie Zheng 3-6, 6-4, 6-7. Zheng who defeated Sharapova will move on to face the winner of the Petrova/Wozniacki match in the final eight.

Sharapova loses a hard fought battle to Zheng Jie.

Maria Sharapova served 14 double faults against Zheng Jie, and for a scrambling player such as Zheng it was enough to give her the win 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. It was hard fought match with many games going to 6 or 7 deuces, but Sharapova’s service let her down time and time again. These two players are only 5 ranking positions apart, and the closeness of the match reflected their repective positions. Sharapova shook her ahead many times in frustration as Zheng made impossible gets to extend the rallies.

When Sharapova called for the trainer in the third set, she had a problem with her right elbow, it was a good thing for Zheng. “I was so tired,” Zheng said. “She called the trainer and I think, ‘Oh, good chance for me to rest.’ ”

Sharapova has no special solutions to correcting whatever is wrong.

“Go back out there and keep working,” she said. “There’s no secret formula to anything.”

Zheng moves on to meet Alica Molik in the next round.

Chinese pair receive enthusiastic homecoming.

After their record-breaking run at the Australian Open, Li Na and Zheng Jie have been widely celebrated on return to their native country for helping to further develop tennis in China.

The pair became the first two Chinese players to reach the final four of a Grand Slam in Melbourne last week, a success which propelled Li five places up the rankings to become the first Chinese player to break into the top 10.

And after returning home, the duo were treated to a national celebration for their efforts, with the Chinese Tennis Association, Sony Ericsson and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour present to provide the warmest of homecomings.

The success of the newly crowned World No.10 Li and No.20 Jie has proved timely, with the WTA tour keen to further the development of women’s tennis in the world’s most populous country.

The nation already hosts one of the most prestigious tournaments in the calendar; the China Open, which features all the Tour’s top players and offers a whopping $4.5million prize pot.

Henin much too strong for Zheng Jie.

Justine Henin is one step away from completing a fairytale return from retirement after she won through to the Australian Open final with a straight-sets win over Zheng Jie.

The 27-year-old raced to a 6-1 6-0 win in just 51 minutes to book a final meeting with defending champion and world number one Serena Williams on Saturday night.

It was a hugely disappointing end to Zheng’s tournament after her countrywoman Li Na was also eliminated in her semi-final clash with Williams.

Henin is playing just her second tournament following a 20-month retirement and is on course to replicate fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters’ remarkable return when she won the US Open after coming back from retirement and becoming a mother.

Henin’s win was the most routine of her difficult run to the final so far that has seen her overcome world number five Elena Dementieva, Yanina Wickmayer (16) and Nadia Petrova (19).

After Zheng held serve in the opening game Henin, who won at Melbourne Park in 2004, strung the next 12 games together to dominate her unseeded rival.

Henin will need her ‘A’ game against Zheng Jie.

Unseeded Zheng Jie set up a semi-final showdown with Justine Henin after a straight sets demolition of Maria Kirilenko at the Australian Open.

Zheng, who becomes the first Chinese player to reach the last four in Melbourne, was always in control against Kirilenko as she raced to a 6-1 6-3 victory.

And the 26-year-old, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, knows she now faces a much tougher test against former champion Henin.

“Henin for me is such a good player,” Zheng said.

“She’s so strong mentally – I just want to go out there and enjoy the match and play well.”

Kirilenko had caused one of the shocks of the tournament by toppling 2008 champion Maria Sharapova.

However the 23-year-old looked out of sorts against Zheng and was clearly troubled by injury – with her left thigh heavily strapped while she needed a medical time out at the end of the first set.

Zheng, a doubles champion in Melbourne four years ago, took just 34 minutes to wrap up the first set with Kirilenko unable to match her rival’s impressive range of groundstrokes.

And Zheng was able to continue her dominance in the final set as she broke in the first and last games to book her place in semi-finals.

Kirilenko, who continued to receive treatment throughout the set, had chances to break in the sixth game but she couldn’t level the match.

Anna K. a tennis ambassador?

 Elena Dementieva and Maria Kirilenko will take on Zheng Jie of China and Sania Mirza of India in a “Russia v Asia” clash at Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam on Dec 19-20.

The tentative format of play is one doubles on the first day and two singles matches the next day.

This is the first time WTA Tour players will play an exhibition in Malaysia as the previous two years featured ATP stars. Billed as the ‘Asia versus Russia — The Gram Slam’, the tournament sees Russian beauty Anna Kournikova as its ambassador. Kournikova will join Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen at the official launch of the exhibition match in Bukit Bintang at 2pm and is set to meet ‛fans’ at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) along Jalan Duta at about 4pm.

World No 5 Elena is a seasoned campaigner on the tour, having won 16 WTA titles and also the gold medal in last year’s Beijing Olympics while Maria, who was World No 18 last year, is a rising star.

Zheng Jie’s prowess is in doubles and her most memorable year was in 2006 when she and Yan Zi won two Grand Slam titles (Australian Open and Wimbledon).

This year, she created history by becoming the first China player to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Sania, who won the mixed doubles gold with Leander Paes in the 2006 Doha Asian Games, has won one singles and eight doubles titles on the WTA Tour.

The exhibition is also a nice introduction to the Malaysian Open Classic, a new event on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour calendar, to be hosted in Kuala Lumpur next February.

Tourism Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen will launch the Russia v Asia match at the Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur today and joining her will be former star Anna Kournikova, the ambassador of the event.

Safina dumped out in the 3rd. round.

Zheng Jie of China upset top-ranked Dinara Safina 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the third round of the LA Women’s Tennis Championships on Thursday night, beating the Russian for the first time in five career meetings.

“It’s amazing for me because I never beat Safina before. I’m very happy,” Zheng said. “Before the start of the match, I knew it was very tough. I wanted to try and play more aggressive.”

Safina, the defending tournament champion and runner-up at the Australian and French opens this year, is in her 16th consecutive week as the world’s top-ranked women’s player.

But she hardly looked like the best player, struggling with her serve and numerous unforced errors throughout the match. Safina netted a backhand on match point after being broken at love in the previous game.

“I turned the match around with a break in the third set and I started to play much better and I just didn’t use my opportunities,” she said. “I didn’t do the right things.”

Zheng is ranked 23rd in the world. She has won three career titles on the WTA Tour, but none since 2006. She is best known for reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon last year, the first Chinese player to do so.

Zheng won the final three games to take the first set when Safina sent a backhand wide. Zheng led 3-1 in the second and held at 4-all before Safina won the final two games to tie the match.

Safina led 4-2 with a break in the third when Zheng lofted a backhand beyond the baseline. Zheng broke back in the next game, with Safina’s second serve hitting the net and bouncing wide for a double fault.

“I was not going for the aces,” Safina said. “I was just bringing the ball into play. That was a mistake.”

Zheng held for a 4-all tie and then broke Safina at love and held at love to close out her second career victory over a top-ranked player. Zheng beat then-No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in the third round at Wimbledon last year.

“I know she has the big serve, but her moving is not so well. I tried to give her more forehands and get her moving more,” Zheng said. “I just want to enjoy it tonight and have some good sleeping.”