Victoria Azarenka - Player Profile - Tennis

Serena Williams thrashed Simona Halep to reach the final of the Italian Open in Rome, where she will face Victoria Azarenka.

Maria Sharapova withdrew from her Italian Open quarter-final with Italy's Sara Errani because of "physical problems".

Serena Williams tied her longest career winning streak with a 6-0 6-1 Rome Masters rout of Dominika Cibulkova.

Maria Sharapova eased into the third round of the Italian Open with a 6-2 6-2 win over Garbine Muguruza Blanco.

WTA rankings on Monday (last week's positions in brackets):

Laura Robson missed the chance of reaching the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open after serving for victory over Ana Ivanovic.

Victoria Azarenka lost her temper in a surprise defeat by unseeded Ekaterina Makarova in the Madrid Open second round.

The latest WTA rankings, with Maria Kirilenko up to 12th.

Laura Robson claimed arguably the biggest scalp of her career with a 6-3 6-1 hammering of Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round at Madrid.

Second seed Maria Sharapova began her title bid in Madrid with a straight-sets win over Alexandra Dulgheru.

Round-up: Serena Williams overcame a lethargic start to her Madrid Open defence to seal a 7-6 6-1 win over Yulia Putintseva.

The latest WTA rankings, with Ana Ivanovic moving up one place.

The latest WTA rankings, with Maria Kirilenko dropping one spot.

The latest WTA rankings, with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova jumping six places into the top 20 after winning the Monterrey Open.

Victoria Azarenka Player Profile