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*The final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells between Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova played out in similar fashion to their recent match up in the Australian Open final just a few months ago. Once again Azarenka proved to be too much for 2nd ranked Sharapova to handle as she easily defeated her 6-2, 6-3. On a chilly windy day in the desert of the Coachella Valley, the No.1 ranked player took less than an hour and a half to secure her 4th WTA victory of the year. Azarenka is clearly enjoying her time as world No.1, and so far this year there hasn't been anyone on tour that has come close to putting an end to her run.  Azarenka has yet to lose since claiming the top spot in women's tennis from Caroline Wozniacki in Melbourne. She is 23-0 on the year with the record set by Martina Hingis of 37-0 in 1997 appearing within reach.

*It was a tournament that will long be remembered, not just for its tennis but also for the infamous stomach virus that swept through and affected close to a dozen players. Among the notables that were forced to withdraw were Vera Zvonareva, Francesca Schiavone, Vania King and Petra Kvitova. The stomach bug apparently was a virus affecting the Coachella Valley area and was not deemed to be related to food poisoning. 

*Caroline Wozniacki made another early exit in a year that has been less than memorable for the former No. 1. She lost to another former No.1 Ana Ivanovic in the 4th round after battling back to defeat Sofia Arvidsson the night before. It appeared that Wozniacki had perhaps regained some lost confidence with the win against Arvidsson, but Ivanovic's aggressive style of play took her to an easy 6-2, 6-4 win. Wozniacki is expected to drop to 6th in the world when the new rankings come out on Monday. 

*Unfortunately the comeback of Ivanovic may be placed on hold as she was forced to withdraw in the semi-finals against Sharapova. Citing left hip pain Ivanovic is scheduled to undergo a MRI. "I was really feeling hopeless because there was no way I could play at that level," Ivanovic said. "I started to feel it in the middle of the first set. I did not actually feel like there was anything I pulled, it just gradually got worse and worse." A career riddled with injuries the past few years; hopefully this will not prove to be a serious one.

*The WTA heads to the east coast this week for the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, FL where Victoria Azarenka is the defending champion.

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