On the Baseline Tennis News

Tennis player Chanda Rubin’s house burned during an intense thunderstorm, and lightning was a likely cause, Lafayette fire officials said Thursday.

Determined 20-year-old Alison Riske knows that there is no time like the present to make her mark on the WTA Tour.

Chris Goldsmith looks at the Romanian women in 2011 and previews one talented Player to Watch.

2011 could very well be a do or die year for the 2008 World champion if she wants to remove the moniker, #1 without a Grand Slam title.

“She is a bright, young, smart and charismatic star.” So said WTA Chairwoman and CEO Stacey Allaster of Caroline Wozniacki in the waning days of the 2010 season.

Time is quickly running out for voting in the 2010 Baseline Awards.

Help your favorite players, coaches, tennis personalities, and moments of 2010 become victorious in their nominated category. Cast your vote before voting closes on Monday, January 3rd, 2011 at 11:59Pm EST.

With bundles of talent at her disposal, in 2011 Timea Bacsinszky will finally make that long-awaited breakthrough.

Some say Sharapova, who now holds 22 tour titles, will never recover to top form again. Other players on the tour are now big threats on hard courts, where Sharapova once ruled. Opponents do not fear her the way they once did. It is not unreasonable to conclude that the Russian’s best days are behind her. However, there is another way of looking at this story. Anyone who has ever seen the look in Sharapova’s eyes when she wins—or when she loses—knows that, whatever her flaws, being a quitter isn’t one of them.

In this video WTA stars Caroline Wozniacki, Elena Dementieva, Sam Stosur, Jelena Jankovic, Francesca Schiavone, Vera Zvonareva and Kim Clijsters send you their holiday messages.

Since the start of her career in 2003, Alisa Kleybanova has improved her ranking every year (excpet for 2006) with a significant jump in 2008. Building upon a good finish to 2010, she’s poised to make another big jump in 2011.

Bojana Jovanovski has just begun her ascent up the WTA tour rankings, and 2011 will be a great year to watch her climb even further.

Aravane Rezai’s tennis outfits are unique. She wears unusual colours such as gold and silver and in her own words calls her clothes “flashy”. Here she shows us the tops, skirts, jackets and accessories in her wardrobe and talks about her fashion influences.

In terms of American “up and comers,” so much recent attention has been focused on Melanie Oudin and Coco Vandeweghe. As the late Baseball Hall of Famer pitcher Satchel Paige once said “don’t look back, someone might be gaining on you.” One of those ladies to look out for as she makes her way up the ranks is 18 year-old Christina McHale.

Finally, after two years in the doldrums, something positive to write about. Matt Trollope takes a look at Ana Ivanovic’s strong finish to the 2010 season and explores whether or not this could translate to even greater success in the new year.

Event to be held at Racquet Club of the South in Atlanta, December 17-19; Men’s and Women’s Champions Awarded Wild Cards into 2011 Australian Open