Azarenka beat Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 in the second round of the Kremlin Cup on Wednesday, and the No. 10-ranked Azarenka will replace Serena Williams in the eight-player, season-ending event that starts next week in Doha, Qatar.

“Every player wants to play in Doha, and I’m happy I turned the match my way in the third set,” Azarenka said.

Williams withdrew on Tuesday because of a re-torn tendon in her right foot, which she injured when stepping on broken glass at a restaurant shortly after winning Wimbledon in July.

Azarenka and Li Na of China were the two substitutes for the tournament. But Li, who was five points ahead of Azarenka in the championships race, lost in the first round in Moscow. She will remain the top substitute.

Azarenka committed 11 double-faults but won the last five games of a match that featured 16 breaks of serve. Petkovic called for a doctor to have blisters on her right hand treated in the third set.

“The courts here are extremely slow and it’s hard to serve a winner,” Azarenka said.

The Olympus US Open Series standings indicate that Kim Clijsters leads the table with most points and she has been the hottest player this summer. With a victory over Maria Sharapova, Clijsters claimed the masters title in Cincinnati. At the following masters event in Canada, the Rogers Cup, she also reached the quarterfinals. However, with a thigh injury during this loss, Clijsters struggled, which may prevent her from competing at the U.S. Open. If the Belgian mom will not be able to defend her U.S. Open title, it will be unfortunate.

Caroline Wozniacki is the second best player this summer, as she won two tournaments, based on the Olympus Series points. Early in August, Wozniacki captured the title in her native Denmark, and then came to America and won the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada. In fact, on the same day, Wozniacki had to play the semifinal and final match, because of rain delays at this masters event. It looks like the last year’s performance can be replicated by the young talented Dane and reach the U.S. Open final once again.

The withdrawal of Serena Williams is the biggest headline on the women’s side of this year’s U.S. Open. The world number 1 is still recovering from a brutal cut that she suffered in July and she will not be able to compete in New York City.

At the U.S. Open, the swinging Russians pose plenty of threats. some great hard court tennis can be played by Vera Zvonareva, Victoria Azarenka (Belarus actually), Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva. Three-time grand slam champion Maria Sharapova is also another Russian threat. This summer she reached two finals.

On June 26 (day 6), most of the focus was on Centre Court, Court 2, and Court 1. Women’s defending champion and world number 1 Serena Williams kicked off the action on Centre Court, as she comfortably defeated Dominika Cibulkova 6-0 7-5 in the third round.

The next match featured sportsbook betting favorite, Rafael Nadal and number 33 seed Philipp Petzschner of Germany. Rafael Nadal won the match 6-4 4-6 6-7(5) 6-2 6-3. However, Nadal was physically hurting in this tough match that lasted nearly 4 hours. In fact, he called out the physio trainer several times throughout the match to treat his elbow and knees. After playing two consecutive five set matches, it seems that Nadal may be the most fatigued player heading into the second week of Wimbledon. Nadal will next face Frenchman Paul Henri Mathieu, who won his third round match in a tough four set battle that featured 3 tiebreaks.

The last featured match on Centre Court was a third round clash between Andy Murray and Gilles Simon. The British hope Murray easily took out the Frenchman 6-1 6-4 6-4. Murray’s fourth round opponent will be American Sam Querrey, who won his third round 9-7 in the fifth set on Court 1. Other winners on Court 1 included French Open finalist Robin Soderling and 2004 women’s champion Maria Sharapova. Both of them won their third round matches in straight sets.

The preview for the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open is definitely exciting as the top players visit the American hard courts for the spring season. First of all, this event will be played right after another major tournament, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. The Indian Wells tournament will play a major role in the confidence and performance of the players as they enter the Sony Ericsson Open.

The World’s number one players and the 2010 Australian Open champions, Roger Federer and Serena Williams are expected to play the Sony Ericsson Open. Federer and Williams are the favorites to win the tournament.

On the men’s side, Federer is expected to face some heavy competition from top players such as Novak Djokovic (#2) and Rafael Nadal (#4). Last year’s champion Andy Murray enters the tournament ranked number 3 in the world. Despite losing to Federer in this year’s Australian Open final, Murray has a great chance to defend his title in Miami.

On the women’s side, besides Serena Williams, a major contender for the title is Victoria Azarenka an Internet betting favorite. The currently #7 ranked Azarenka is the defending champion, as she beat Williams here in the final last year. Azarenka will remember her tough 3 set loss to Serena Williams at this year’s Australian Open, and will seek some revenge on the Miami hard courts.

A pre-tournament favorite, Williams survived a quarter-final scare against Victoria Azarenka, fighting back from being a set and 0-4 down to progress.

Henin was a wildcard entry and is only the second wildcard ever to reach a grand slam final, having thrashed Zheng Jie 6-1 6-0 in her semi-final.

Williams is a four-time Australian Open winner and is the current defending champion. Henin is a previous Australian Open champion in 2004, but is playing in only her second tournament since returning from an 18-month retirement.

This game will be seen as the strength and power of Williams against the more rounded game of the physically smaller Henin. Williams possesses exceptional power both on her serve and her range of shots, Henin also has a powerful serve but is known for footwork, variety, and an exceptional one-handed backhand among the best in the women’s game.

The bookmakers are predicting a close fought final with Williams a slight favorite in some corners. Williams is a 4/5 favorite with Henin even money. Other Sportsbook have it even tighter offering equal 10/11 betting odds on both Henin or Williams to win.