Ivanovic Crushes Sharapova to Reach French Open Final
Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic reached the French Open final on Thursday, beating world number two Maria Sharapova 6-2 6-1. Ivanovic will face Justine Henin in the showdown after the Belgian saw off another Serbian, Jelena Jankovic.
The world number two from Russia went into the match with two Grand Slam wins to her name, but a recent injury and natural aversion to the clay put it all in jeopardy. In contrast, her Serbian opponent, winner of the German Open last month, is now in an exceptionally good form.
Seventh seed Ivanovic took control from the start, breaking Sharapova’s serve. The Russian’s double-faults gave up two more breaks in the first set, and she slipped 4-0 behind in the second. All the Serbian had to do was to serve the match with an ace and secure a place in the final.
“Maria likes to dominate but I knew she’s not a great mover, so I tried to play the ball deep and put her under pressure. She went for the big shots but I was there,” Ivanovic said after the match. “Now I will look forward to the final, it’s my first in a Grand Slam and I’m very excited about it.”
Another Serbian, Jelena Jankovic, could have set up a Serbian final at Roland Garros, but was upset by defending champion Justine Henin 6-2 6-2.
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All the Article in Russian as of June 08, 2007
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