Ivanovic beats Jankovic; faces Safina in French Open final

Jun 06

Ana Ivanovic came through a wildly fluctuating semi-final against fellow Serbian Jelena Jankovic to reach the French Open final for the second successive year. Ivanovic, who will move up a place to dislodge Maria Sharapova as world No1 when the new rankings are published next week, saw off Jankovic in three tight sets to clinch a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory. She will meet Russia’s Dinara Safina, who earlier beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets, in Saturday’s final.

In terms of grand slam decider’s, Ivanovic, who was also a beaten finalist at the Australian Open in January, will be hoping to make it third time lucky. In terms of an unpredictable contest which she trailed 3-0 in the first set and 3-1 in the third - and which, at one stage, was slipping so rapidly from her grasp that she lost six consecutive games - she may she count herself lucky to remain in the tournament at all. “It was a very tough match today and she’s a tough opponent,” said Ivanovic. “She started playing really good tennis and I became too passive. She’s a really good player and if you give her chances she will take them.”

As for Safina, big brother was doubtless watching but, having reached the first grand slam final of her career, she will not have been unduly perturbed. Safina, who has been chastised about her approach to the game by older brother Marat, emerged from her more celebrated sibling’s shadow to reach Saturday’s title showdown with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over fellow Russian Kuznetsova. Having come within a point of defeat against both Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva in the previous two rounds, Safina’s progress to the last four had been physically and emotionally draining. But if the world No14’s feet understandably looked a little slower than normal at times, the mind remained sharp enough to outwit a strangely lackluster Kuznetsova.

Working the angles shrewdly to draw her compatriot out of position, Safina capitalized on a tentative, error-strewn start by the the world No4 to break in the second game. Kuznetsova, a finalist at Roland Garros in 2006 and former US Open champion, quickly broke back with a series of booming ground strokes, but fell behind again quickly as she struggled to find her usual rhythm and fluency. “It feels amazing,” said Safina. “I didn’t expect to get to the final, I’ve just been taking it day by day. But when you take it easy, sometimes the results come. I was trying to push myself to be aggressive and I’m happy because I really played well. I’m doing it for Marat and for myself; for the family.”

Catch the womens final live on Star Sports on 7th June from 6.30 onwards.