TENNIS WTA Rome – Ana Ivanovic took the re-match of the recent final in Stuttgart against Maria Sharapova with a straight-set win in the blockbuster-match of the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Diego Sampaolo
Interviews, results, order of play, draws of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome
Sharapova started the match as the favourite, as she won their last seven head-to-head matches including this year’s final in Stuttgart and eight of their last ten clashes but today Ivanovic played a great match taking control from the first set.
Ivanovic, 2008 Roland Garros champion on clay in 2008 and semifinalist in Rome in 2010, played a perfect first set storming to a 6-1 after 31 minutes.
Ivanovic won the coin toss and chose to serve. She held serve to love in the opening game before breaking in the second game. She cruised to a 4-1 lead before breaking in the following game for 5-1. She hit a forehand down the line on her second set point.
She broke serve in the first set of the second set but Sharapova broke straight back to draw level to 1-1 and held serve for the first time in the match to go up 2-1. Ivanovic saved two break points with two serves in the next game. Ivanovic hit a backhand drop-shot winner to earn a triple break point in the ninth game and got a crucial break to take a 5-4 lead. Ivanovic made a double fault to give Sharapova a break point.
Ivanovic saved it before earning a match point with a backhand winner. She finally closed out the match with a forehand down the line winner.
Sharapova’s dream to win her third clay title in a row came to an end.
Ivanovic has won her first match over Sharapova since her triumph in the Roland Garros semifinal with the scoreline of 6-2 6-1 in 2007 when she was 19 years old. Since then Sharapova had won 13 of their last matches. Sharapova had been crowned as the Queen of clay after claiming 46 of her last 49 matches on this surface including the Roland Garros win in 2012 and two Rome titles in 2011 and 2012, three consecutive wins in Stuttgart and this year’s triumph in Madrid.
Ivanovic hit 22 winners to 13 unforced errors. Sharapova produced 16 winners to 14 unforced errors but Ivanovic played the most crucial points better converting five of her eight break point chances. On the contrary Sharapova converted on two of her break point chances.
Ivanovic will take on a quarter final clash against Carla Suarez Navarro who took advantage of a walkover after Simona Halep withdrew from Rome one week after losing the Madrid final against Sharapova.
Ivanovic won her only match against Suarez Navarro in Doha in 2012.
