FanHouse Ana Ivanovic

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Venus Williams advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon when opponent Ana Ivanovic retired one game into the second set Monday.

Williams, seeking her sixth Wimbledon title, led 6-1, love-1 when Ivanovic called it quits.

Ivanovic took a 10-minute break during the first game of the second set to have her left thigh taped by a trainer. She returned for two more points, but after hitting a service winner to take the game, she began crying as she walked to her chair and told the umpire she was retiring.

Each Wednesday during the golf season, FanHouse will list the top five names in golf and why they're important. Did Barack play 18 with Tiger? Did a certain player do something controversial off the course? Or was just playing golf enough to get the pot stirring? Join us for a weekly feature we call Making the Cut.

5. Ana Ivanovic -- Yep, she plays tennis, but she also is wooing a golf heartthrob away from the AT&T National hosted by Tiger Woods. Adam Scott, who is to the PGA Tour what Erin Andrews is to sideline reporting, has said he will miss the AT&T to go watch Ivanovic at Wimbledon. The word is they're dating, but nothing has been confirmed. I guess here's hoping Ivanovic makes it long enough so that Scott can sport his Burberry on the hallowed tennis grounds.

WIMBLEDON, England (June 23) -- Twice, Ana Ivanovic found herself one point from a surprising and disappointing first-round Wimbledon loss on Tuesday. But the former world No. 1 somehow found a way to survive, rallying past Lucie Hradecka 5-7, 6-2, 8-6.

Despite a slow start, Ivanovic had a chance to serve for the match up 5-4 in the third set, but flubbed away that opportunity. Two games later, she found herself facing match point on a pair of occasions before scrambling back to knot the set at 6-6.

Ivanovic then broke Hradecka -- screaming and jumping in elation after a Hradecka miscue left her with three break points -- and finally, on her second try, served out the victory.

PARIS (AP) - Rafael Nadal's unbeaten run at the French Open is over.

The four-time defending champion lost to Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-2, 6-7 (7-2), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) Sunday in the fourth round, ending his record 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros.

Soderling, seeded 23rd at this year's tournament, ran Nadal ragged on center court with his hard serve and booming forehand.

"This is just one more match," Soderling said.

They had to gang up on Rafael Nadal. It was a tag-team effort in Madrid: First, Novak Djokovic softened him up with a four-hour death match. Nadal won. The next day, Roger Federer cleaned up on a tired Nadal with a sore knee.

But the point is, Nadal did fall on clay. It can be done! No one knew that for sure.

So we start the French Open on Sunday, the year's second major. Nadal has won it four years in a row. Can he be stopped now?

Blame the system if you want. It is all wrong. But Dinara Safina is now the No. 1 ranked women's tennis player, and no, she's not the best women's player.

Psycho. That's how Serena Williams, the best player, described it.

"I just ...'' she said. "I can't compute it.''

No, a computer does that. Tennis has its own little BCS-type controversy now, with computers trying to measure greatness. The difference is that the college football can't pick a champ without computers. Tennis does it with tournaments.

NEW YORK -- FanHouse was all credentialed up for Monday night's BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup. From Bill Clinton's speech, to what Serena's triumph over her sister means moving forward, here's a list of 20 observations from a night of tennis involving Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams and Venus Williams at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup might have included four of the top women's tennis players, but the Madison Square Garden crowd wanted only two to make it to the finals.

They got their wish when Serena Williams took down Ana Ivanovic, and Venus Williams beat Jelena Jankovic to set up an all-Williams final that Serena took, 6-4, 6-3.

LeBron James recently called Madison Square Garden "The Mecca." It's the first arena you think of when basketball comes to mind. Well, Monday night, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic will turn the Garden into a tennis "Mecca" in the four-player BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup

And Serena, for one, couldn't be more excited about it.

"I think growing up I've always watched tennis on Madison Square Garden," the 2009 Australian Open champion said via conference call. "You know, there was the WTA event that was there as long as I can remember, and I've always wanted to play there and you know, I never thought I would actually have a chance in my career to play once that tournament was removed and then here I am."

On March 2, Madison Square Garden will showcase some of the finest talent the women's game has to offer.

Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic will be competing in the four-player BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup. On Wednesday, Venus talked about competing in the tournament (via conference call), and said as much as she respects the other players, an all-Williams final is what she wants.