Daniela Hantuchova

Top seed Venus Williams' bid to win the WTA Istanbul Cup ended at the first hurdle on July 21, as the American icon lost 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) to Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko.

MADRID - Serbia's highest ranked player on the WTA rankings, Ana Ivanovic, advanced to the second round of Madrid Open, after her first round opponent, Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru, retired from the match on Saturday.

Ivanovic was leading by 2-6, 7-6 (7-1), 4-0.

Bulgaria's best female tennis player Tsvetana Pironkova reached the 1/8 finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

For the first time Pironkova reached the third round of the tournament after winning against Shuai Peng from China with 3:6, 6:4, 7:6 (5) on Tuesday.

DOHA - Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic is through to the second round of the WTA tournament in Doha, after her first-round opponent, Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova retired at the start of the second set.

With the Serbian player leading by 7:5, and 1-0 in the second set, Hantuchova withdrew with a right knee injury.