Sharapova, Shaky Ivanovic Advance to Australian Open Final
Posted on January 24, 2008
Russian Maria Sharapova and Serb Ana Ivanovic made for a beautiful meeting in the final after semifinal wins Thursday at the Australian Open.
Sharapova was the first player into the final after beating the injured Jelena Jankovic, who required back treatment throughout the second set in a 6-3, 6-1 loss.
Jankovic reportedly required painkillers to even take the court, but Sharapova supplied painkillers of her own, cleanly striking winners throughout the contest and sending the Serb off the court in tears. Jankovic said she was a "wounded animal" after her quarterfinals win, and was no match for the battering-ram groundstrokes of the Russian.
"I'm glad I've being able to play such good tennis and hopefully I can do that in the next match," Sharapova said.
Ivanovic won a battle of tight players against Daniela Hantuchova, losing the first eight games before Hantuchova seized up and the Serb stormed back for an 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.
"She was playing really good and I was always on the back foot and always defending," Ivanovic said. "I didn't find my rhythm and I knew I had to go for the shots before her, because she likes to dominate. I tried to hang in there. But I just tried to tell myself that she can't keep up that level throughout the whole match. I knew I would get a chance at some point, and that helped me a lot."
Sharapova and Ivanovic are tied 2-2 in career meetings, with the Russian winning the most recent encounter easily at the 2007 Tour Championships.
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