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Ivanovic takes top spot, books Paris final against Safina

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia celebrates after defeating compatriot Jelena Jankovic in their semi-final match of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris on Thursday. PHOTO: EPA

Ana Ivanovic let out a girlish squeal and covered her face, delighted with what she had just achieved.

And this was before the young Serb learned she had clinched the No. 1 ranking for the first time.

Ivanovic advanced to the French Open final for the second year in a row, sweeping the final three games to beat Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 on Thursday. Ivanovic’s opponent today will be No. 13-seeded Dinara Safina, who will be trying to join older brother Marat Safin as a Grand Slam champion.

Ivanovic also seeks her first major title. But at 20, she’s already assured of supplanting Maria Sharapova atop the rankings next week.

She said she was unaware the semi-final victory earned her the No. 1 spot until she was told after the match.

“Being No. 1 is a dream come true for me,” Ivanovic said. “It was a big surprise because I was so focused on the tournament.”

That’s still the case. She seeks a breakthrough in Grand Slam finals after finishing as the runner-up to Justine Henin at last year’s French Open and to Sharapova at this year’s Australian Open.

Nerves sabotaged Ivanovic’s chances a year ago at Roland Garros, and she won only three games in a dismal performance.

“I feel like a different player coming into this French Open,” Ivanovic said. “A lot of experience I gained from that final and the final in Australia, so I really hope I can step up this time and make one more step.”

Safina finds herself in uncharted territory. The Russian’s best previous Grand Slam showings were quarter-final finishes in 2006 at Roland Garros and the US Open, and she knows she’s lucky to be in the final after fending off a match point in consecutive rounds.

Her semi-final victory was more straightforward. Dominating with an aggressive approach from the baseline, Safina beat an error-prone Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2.

Jankovic was dejected following her roller-coaster defeat. She squandered leads of 4-2 in the first set and 3-1 in the third. She would have climbed to No. 1 next week had she won; instead she fell to 0-4 in major semi-finals.

No wonder she was glum. When asked about her plans for Thursday night, she said: “I will have some dinner and maybe get drunk.”



■ NADAL INTO FINAL

DPA, PARIS

Rafael Nadal moved to within one victory of a record-equaling fourth straight title at the French Open yesterday with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Novak Djokovic to reach a fourth straight final,

The Spanish king of clay remains undefeated at Roland Garros and will play either Roger Federer or Frenchman Gael Monfils in tomorrow’s title match.
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