TENNIS WTA CINCINNATI – There was no doubt that this match was going to be a battle. However, no one expected a war for this win. Ivanovic took the early lead only to see Sharapova fight back hard to serve for the match in the third. However, Ivanovic would not be denied the victory as she finally seized the match 6-2 5-7 7-5. Cordell Hackshaw
Anytime Maria Sharapova (5) and Ana Ivanovic (9) play each other, the matchup always receive top billing as they are two of the tour’s top fan favourites. The rivalry has been somewhat one-sided with Sharapova leading 8-3 including a 7-match win streak. Their last two matches in recent months have been very competitive with Ivanovic finally snapping the Sharapova win streak to take the last match in straight sets. There was no doubt that this match was going to be a battle. However, no one expected a war for this win. Ivanovic raced out to an almost unsurmountable lead with a set and double breaks in hand, 6-2 4-0 in the second set, only to see Sharapova fight back hard to serve for the match in the third. However, Ivanovic would not be denied the victory as she finally seized the match 6-2 5-7 7-5 to face world’s number 1, Serena Williams in the final. “Just so, so thrilled and happy to stay composed and fight until the last moment,” Ivanovic said.
Ivanovic could not have asked for a better start to the match. She broke Sharapova for a 3-1 and consolidated to lead 4-1. She had another break point in the 6th game but Sharapova fought it off for 2-4. However, when Ivanovic got another break opportunity at 5-2, she converted to close out the set 6-2 in 40 minutes. “I was just trying to play my game. Trying to step up and be aggressive and don’t rush. Against Maria you really have to try and push her off the court. If you give her opportunity she’s going to dictate the points,” Ivanovic said after the match. Sharapova looked out of sorts but her fans were hardly concerned considering her track record. The Russian, particularly as of late, finds herself down a set and a break and then finds the will to win. These mighty comebacks were on full display at the recent French Open where she completed this feat three times in a row to get to the final where she won her 2nd French title. As a matter of fact, in her last match, she staged another comeback against Simona Halep (2) in a similar fashion.
True to form, in the 2nd set, Sharapova was soon down 0-2. Traditionally, it was at this point that Sharapova would make her charge to assert herself back into the match. However, she went down another break and saw Ivanovic serving for a 6-2 5-0 lead. Surely Sharapova could not pull off this Houdini-like escape. Sharapova would later explain her predicament, “I think it was a combination of flat, just not executing what I want to from the beginning of the match, making a few too many errors.” The chains were too tight as Ivanovic was in total control up to this point. The Serbian soon relinquished her strangle hold on the match when she got distracted by bad call from the umpire who allowed a 30-40 point to be replayed. Sharapova only needed that slight opening to break for 1-4. She held serve to lessen the lead to 2-4. Ivanovic was clearly rattled but she scraped through her next service game for a 5-2 lead. Sharapova held serve for 3-5 and forced Ivanovic to serve for the match. Ivanovic crumbled. She was now the erratic player on court as she could not put together several quality points in a row. Sharapova on the other hand was simply lethal off the ground. Her groundstrokes were firing on both wings and Ivanovic was left scrambling. That 5-2 lead quickly dissipated as Sharapova reeled off five consecutive games for the set 7-5.
Ivanovic had to regroup but history showed that Sharapova does not lose these types of matches. Once a player allows her back into the match, she quickly pounces and dismantles the opponent in the decisive set. The momentum was swinging all the Russian’s way. However, the momentum may have tempered as in the 3rd game of the set, a game apiece 15-15, Ivanovic inexplicably stopped play and laboured over to her chair in seemingly excruciating pain. It was later explained that her heart was beating at an alarming rate and she needed to a break. However, Ivanovic stated in the press conference that she was “nauseous.” The doctor was quickly ushered on court. Ivanovic took some medication and lied down on court for a bit. It all seemed bizarre but Sharapova was not bothered as she took an early break for 2-1. Ivanovic broke back for 2-2 but got broken again. Sharapova consolidated for 4-2. Ivanovic then came on strong aided by some untimely double faults from Sharapova to level the set again at 4-4. The Russian would not be denied as she broke to serve out the match at 5-4.
The momentum which had swung decisively in either player’s direction earlier in the match was now going back and forth between them at lightening pace. With the match squarely on her racquet, Sharapova buckled as she double faulted three times in the game giving Ivanovic the chance to break after saving two match points. It was now 5-5 in the set with Ivanovic serving just as she was in the 2nd set. Last time, Ivanovic was unable to hold her serve and nerves but this time around she withstood the Sharapova surge to gain the edge at 6-5. Now for the third time in the match, Sharapova was serving to stay alive. Ivanovic was not going to let a third chance for the match go by as she returned Sharapova’s serves with interest; deep and heavy to the baseline. Sharapova showed rare signs of nerves as she was unable to handle the pressure. Two match points were now against here. She saved one but on the other. Ivanovic unleashed a mighty backhand crosscourt that Sharapova could not get back into play. The 2 hours and 45 minutes battle was finally over with Ivanovic the winner 6-2 5-7 7-5.
The match statistics were not pretty. Sharapova served at 63% winning 60% of her 1st serve points and 37% behind her 2nd serve. She was broken eight times and had nine double faults with seven of them coming in the 3rd set alone. Sharapova had 29 winners to 45 errors. Ivanovic numbers were hardly any better. She got 61% of her 1st serves in to win 62% of those points and only 47% on her 2nd serve. She had six double faults. The Serbian had 28 winners to 51 errors. However, a match like this is cannot be summed up by the number but by the intangibles. Who held it together when it really counted? Sharapova later noted, “I created myself a good position after having a slow start. I was down and out in the match and I found a way to get myself in a winning position. Today it didn’t work out for me. That’s really the headline of the whole story.” Ivanovic herself noted that she thought that she was going to lose the match after the lead but then “try to think fresh and have positive affirmations.” Ivanovic will face Williams for their 8th meeting. Williams is 6-1 head-to-head. Neither player has won this title before so there will be a lot of build up for this match.