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.
PHOTO: EPA
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.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
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