Venus Williams

Months of ill will that had been simmering on the women's tennis tour bubbled to the surface Friday in the form of a bizarre chest-butting incident between Irina Spirlea and Venus Williams during their U.S. Open semifinal, which Williams won. It occurred after Williams held serve and was up a break at 4-3 in the second set. The players walked to the sideline for the changeover and neither gave way while negotiating the narrow space between the end of the net and the umpire's chair.

Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka lost for the first time this year when she was beaten by Marion Bartoli , 6-3, 6-3, in Wednesday night's quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne, Fla. Azarenka had won 26 consecutive matches, a streak that began at the start of this year. Her start was the best on the women's tour since Martina Hingis was 37-0 to begin 1997. Azarenka had won her four previous tournaments this year, including the Australian Open for her first Grand Slam title.

Tennis star Venus Williams has withdrawn from the U.S. Open shortly before her second-round match, announcing that she has been diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that can lead to dry eyes, dry mouth and painful joint problems. "I am thankful I finally have a diagnosis and am now focused on getting better and returning to the court soon," said Williams, who has spent considerable time off the court for various health issues, from a hip injury to a viral infection.  Sjogren's (pronounced "show-grins")

Venus Williams won in her first singles match since August, dispatching Kimiko Date-Krumm , 6-0, 6-3, in the Sony Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne, Fla., on Wednesday. She smiled, raised her arms in victory, then skipped to the net to shake Date-Krumm's hand before twirling around and pumping her arms in a celebration worthy of winning the title, not just a first match. But other than playing a meaningless doubles match during the United States' Fed Cup first round victory over Belarus in early February, she hadn't played an official match since the U.S. Open first round.

Venus Williams drew a crowd Friday night at the Farmers Insurance Classic, the line snaking through the crowded grounds of the Los Angeles Tennis Center with fans eager to get autographs on their copies of Venus' book, "Come to Win." Williams was dressed impeccably, her silver earrings twinkling in the evening lights, her hair pulled into a prim bun. She wore a long and muted gray-colored sweater that reached her knees, and black jeans. Her entire look said "author." There was nothing that said "tennis."

The eldest sister of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams was fatally shot early Sunday on a Compton street, not far from the cracked concrete tennis courts where her sisters began their ascent to the upper echelons of the sport. Yetunde Price, 31, of Corona was shot shortly after midnight in the 1100 block of East Greenleaf Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Tennis star Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open, more than four months after announcing that she has Sjogren's syndrome . "After several months of training and treatment, I am making steady progress to top competitive form," the 31-year-old wrote on her website Monday. "My diet and fitness regimen have allowed me to make great strides in terms of my health and I am very close to being able to return to WTA competition. " Williams finished, "I have every intention to return to the circuit in February.

Venus Williams beat younger sister Serena, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (3), Friday to reach the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates. Sixth-seeded Venus dominated the first set as Serena struggled with her serves. "I loved the way the first set went," said Venus, who will face Virginie Razzano of France in today's final. Serena appeared to be bothered by a lingering knee injury that forced her to pull out of last week's semifinals in Paris.

Venus Williams lost to Daniela Hantuchova , 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, in the quarterfinals at Eastbourne, England, on Thursday, exiting a day after her sister, Serena , was defeated but still pleased with her Wimbledon preparation in her return to tennis. Both sisters are back after lengthy injury breaks. Venus was playing her first event in five months since retiring because of hip and abdominal injuries during the Australian Open in January. Venus said she heads to Wimbledon with plenty of confidence as she targets a sixth title at the All England Club.

TODAY'S FEATURED MATCHES Women's semifinals; world rankings in parentheses: Venus Williams (3) vs. Dinara Safina (1), Russia Williams has played a brand of grass-court tennis so superb there have been moments when the stadium speakers ought to have played Mozart. Safina has conducted trademark raging battles with herself such that there've been moments when the stadium speakers ought to have played AC/DC. (Williams leads head to head, 2-1, with no previous Grand Slam meetings.

Venus Williams returned from a five-month layoff, and Serena Williams and Christina McHale won singles matches Sunday, sending the United States past Belarus, 5-0, in the first round of the Fed Cup at Worcester, Mass. By sweeping Belarus in World Group II, the Americans head to a playoff in April in hopes of playing their way back into the top tier of the Fed Cup after being bounced last year. Venus Williams and Liezel Huber completed the shutout with a doubles victory, defeating Darya Kustova and Anastasiya Yakimova , 6-1, 6-2. This was Williams' first sanctioned match since the opening round of the U.S. Open.

The Australian Open begins Monday in Melbourne (Sunday in the U.S.) and the injury scorecard is already cluttered before the season's first major. Serena Williams has already hurt her ankle and Venus Williams didn't make the trip to Australia as she deals with an autoimmune disorder that she disclosed at the 2011 U.S. Open. Roger Federer has been spotted clutching at his achy back. Rafael Nadal has been seen using a bag with wheels to cart around his tennis gear instead of slinging one over a sore shoulder.

Tennis star Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open, more than four months after announcing that she has Sjogren's syndrome . "After several months of training and treatment, I am making steady progress to top competitive form," the 31-year-old wrote on her website Monday. "My diet and fitness regimen have allowed me to make great strides in terms of my health and I am very close to being able to return to WTA competition. " Williams finished, "I have every intention to return to the circuit in February.

Reporting from New York — The best players dominated at the U.S. Open on Thursday. Serena Williams, seeded 28th, needed only 49 minutes to beat qualifier Michaella Krajicek, 6-0, 6-1. Third-seeded Roger Federer was on and off Arthur Ashe Stadium in 1 hour 17 minutes with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Dudi Sela. Eighth-seeded Mardy Fish positively dawdled, taking 1:53 to knock out Tunisian qualifier Malek Jaziri, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki cruised past Arantxa Rus, 6-2, 6-0, in 63 minutes.

U.S. Open featured matches Seedings in parentheses; all times PDT Arthur Ashe Stadium Beginning at 8 a.m.: Vera Zvonareva (2) vs. Kateryna Bondarenko; Andy Murray (4) vs. Somdev Devvarman; Venus Williams vs. Sabine Lisicki (22) Beginning at 4 p.m.: Andy Roddick (21) vs. Michael Russell; Maria Sharapova (3) vs. Anastasiya Yakimova. Louis Armstrong Stadium Beginning 8 a.m.: Lucie Safarova (27) vs. Madison Keys; Juan Martin Del Potro (18)

Reporting from New York -- Venus Williams isn't ready to walk away from tennis, but she had to Wednesday, leaving the U.S. Open with her head down. Williams, 31, pulled out of her second-round match against 22nd-seeded Sabine Lisicki, a big-serving German who is a decade younger than Venus. In a statement, Williams said she had an autoimmune illness called Sjogren's syndrome. The illness, Williams said, "affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain. " Carlos Fleming, Williams' longtime agent, looked downcast outside the locker room after the announcement.

Venus Williams ' tuneup for the U.S. Open hit a surprising roadblock Tuesday with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to Kateryna Bondarenko in the second round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto. Williams, seeded third, lost to an opponent ranked No. 64. Williams was playing at this tournament for the first time since 1997 when she was 17. She has lost all three of her matches at the Rogers Cup. Kim Clijsters cruised past Elena Baltacha , 6-3, 6-4, advancing in her second tournament since taking more than two years off to have a child, and Samantha Stosur defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova , 6-4, 6-3. Gilles Simon won his second-round match, 7-6 (5)

Venus Williams won in her first singles match since August, dispatching Kimiko Date-Krumm , 6-0, 6-3, in the Sony Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne, Fla., on Wednesday. She smiled, raised her arms in victory, then skipped to the net to shake Date-Krumm's hand before twirling around and pumping her arms in a celebration worthy of winning the title, not just a first match. But other than playing a meaningless doubles match during the United States' Fed Cup first round victory over Belarus in early February, she hadn't played an official match since the U.S. Open first round.

Tennis star Venus Williams has withdrawn from the U.S. Open shortly before her second-round match, announcing that she has been diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that can lead to dry eyes, dry mouth and painful joint problems. "I am thankful I finally have a diagnosis and am now focused on getting better and returning to the court soon," said Williams, who has spent considerable time off the court for various health issues, from a hip injury to a viral infection.  Sjogren's (pronounced "show-grins")

Venus Williams has come to this U.S. Open unseeded, ranked only 36th in the world, having spent her summer withdrawing from hard-court tournaments because of a viral illness and being spoken of only as a tennis afterthought. And then Williams, after taking a few games to locate her ground strokes and power up her serve, soon enough was applauding the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd as it applauded her. Williams, a two-time Open champion and a semifinalist last year, defeated 91st-ranked Vesna Dolonts, 6-4, 6-3. And if there is a reason to still be cautious about Williams' overall chances, it would be that her 22-year-old Russian opponent had arrived in New York from Russia only on Monday morning after a sequence of trouble with her international visa and a flight delayed by Hurricane Irene.