Ivanovic reaches semis
Sunday, 12 August 2007
LOS ANGELES, Aug 11 (AFP): French Open finalist Ana Ivanovic booked a semi- final berth at a 600,000-dollar US Open tune-up here Friday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Russian Maria Kirilenko.
Kirilenko, who upset sixth-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in the second round earlier this week, started strong and led 4-1in the first set when she had on-court treatment for blisters on her fight foot.
Ivanovic won the next five games to take the set, and won the first two games of the second.
She broke again to lead 5-2 in the second set before Kirilenko broke back and then held serve.
But third-seed Ivanovic put it away in the 10th game with a service winner on match point.
Ivanovic is in the midst of a career year. In addition to becoming the first Serbian woman to reach a Grand Slam final, she made it to the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
This is her first tournament since then, and in the semi-finals she'll face either second- seeded compatriot Jelena Jankovic or 18-year-old Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
Fourth-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova rallied for a 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-1 victory over unseeded Virginie Razzano of France to reach the semi-finals.
"She played really well and she was going for her shots," Petrova said of Razzano, who was treated for a neck injury early in the third set of a match that stretched to 2 hours 11minutes.
"I made everything so difficult for myself in the first set, but I feel quite happy by winning today, and I have a lot of time to recover," added the Russian who dominated the third set and finished the match by breaking Razzano to love in the final game.
"After the losing first set I was thinking I just need to take it into the third set because I feel fitter than she is, and it doesn't matter how long I stay out there. The second set I was just trying to go for a break," she said.
"The third set I just tried to get every single game and not give her any opportunity to come back," added Petrova, who had never made it past the quarter-finals in six previous appearances in Los Angeles.
Petrova will face either top-seeded Maria Sharapova or defending champion Elena Dementieva, who were due to face off in the marquee match of the night.
Sharapova won the tier one title in San Diego last Sunday, her first title of 2007 coming just in time to boost her confidence heading into her US Open championship defence.
Sharapova has won five of her last six meetings with Dementieva, including a 6-1, 6-2 rout in the final at Indian Wells in 2006.
Dementieva's lone victory in that span was in the semi-finals here last year. The 25-year- old has reached at least the semi-finals for three years in a row here.
Sharapova is coming off a tough three-setter against Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands. Dementieva was in control of her third-round match with fifth seed Daniela Hantuchova Thursday when the Slovakian withdrew because of an upper-respiratory illness.
Kirilenko, who upset sixth-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in the second round earlier this week, started strong and led 4-1in the first set when she had on-court treatment for blisters on her fight foot.
Ivanovic won the next five games to take the set, and won the first two games of the second.
She broke again to lead 5-2 in the second set before Kirilenko broke back and then held serve.
But third-seed Ivanovic put it away in the 10th game with a service winner on match point.
Ivanovic is in the midst of a career year. In addition to becoming the first Serbian woman to reach a Grand Slam final, she made it to the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
This is her first tournament since then, and in the semi-finals she'll face either second- seeded compatriot Jelena Jankovic or 18-year-old Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
Fourth-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova rallied for a 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-1 victory over unseeded Virginie Razzano of France to reach the semi-finals.
"She played really well and she was going for her shots," Petrova said of Razzano, who was treated for a neck injury early in the third set of a match that stretched to 2 hours 11minutes.
"I made everything so difficult for myself in the first set, but I feel quite happy by winning today, and I have a lot of time to recover," added the Russian who dominated the third set and finished the match by breaking Razzano to love in the final game.
"After the losing first set I was thinking I just need to take it into the third set because I feel fitter than she is, and it doesn't matter how long I stay out there. The second set I was just trying to go for a break," she said.
"The third set I just tried to get every single game and not give her any opportunity to come back," added Petrova, who had never made it past the quarter-finals in six previous appearances in Los Angeles.
Petrova will face either top-seeded Maria Sharapova or defending champion Elena Dementieva, who were due to face off in the marquee match of the night.
Sharapova won the tier one title in San Diego last Sunday, her first title of 2007 coming just in time to boost her confidence heading into her US Open championship defence.
Sharapova has won five of her last six meetings with Dementieva, including a 6-1, 6-2 rout in the final at Indian Wells in 2006.
Dementieva's lone victory in that span was in the semi-finals here last year. The 25-year- old has reached at least the semi-finals for three years in a row here.
Sharapova is coming off a tough three-setter against Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands. Dementieva was in control of her third-round match with fifth seed Daniela Hantuchova Thursday when the Slovakian withdrew because of an upper-respiratory illness.