Ivanovic vs Safarova in French Open last 4
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ANA Ivanovic and Lucie Safarova will clash for a place in the French Open final after comfortably defeating younger rivals at a windswept Roland Garros yesterday.
Ivanovic reached her first grand slam semifinal in seven years when she beat Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-2 while Safarova booked a place in the French Open last four for the first time by seeing off Garbine Muguruza 7-6 (3), 6-3.
Serb seventh seed Ivanovic, 27, last made the semifinals of a major on way to her only grand slam title in Paris in 2008.
It will be her fifth last-four appearance at a major following similar runs to the 2007 and 2008 semifinals at Roland Garros, Wimbledon in 2007 and the Australian Open in 2008.
“I don’t know whether to feel happy or old,” said Ivanovic, who is now 7-0 against Svitolina, seven years her junior.
“It was very tough to play today. The wind was really strong and the ball was bouncing all over the place so I just needed to stay calm and use my feet more.”
Ivanovic and Svitolina, who was bidding to become the first Ukrainian woman to reach the semifinals of a grand slam, exchanged breaks in the second and third games of the first set.
But the vastly more experienced Serb, watched from the stands by German World Cup-winning boyfriend Bastian Schweinsteiger, broke again for 3-1 to lay the foundation for clinching the first set.
Breaks in the first and seventh games of the second helped Ivanovic into a comfortable 5-2 lead and despite double-faulting on her second match point, she sealed victory on her third with a sweeping forehand winner.
Ivanovic was rewarded for her positive approach on Court Philippe Chatrier, firing 37 winners to just eight for Svitolina.
Out on Court Suzanne Lenglen, Czech Safarova, 28, followed-up her fourth-round defeat of world No. 2 and defending champion Maria Sharapova with a straight sets beating of 21-year-old Muguruza.
Safarova will be playing in her second career grand slam semifinal after making the last four at Wimbledon in 2014.
“It’s amazing to be in the semifinals,” said Safarova who will hope to go on and become the first left-hander to win the title in Paris since Monica Seles in 1992. “It’s hard to explain my feelings .... wow! I am excited and ready to face Ana.”
Safarova holds a 5-3 career lead over Ivanovic with a win apiece on clay.
The other quarterfinals take place today when two-time champion Williams tackles Italy’s Sara Errani, the 2012 runner-up, and Swiss 23rd seed Timea Bacsinszky faces unseeded Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck.
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