Ivanovic reaches quarterfinal after seven years

AFP, PARIS: Ana Ivanovic made the French Open quarter-finals for the first time since her 2008 title run Sunday where she’ll face Elina Svitolina, the first Ukrainian to make the last eight.
Seventh-seeded Serb Ivanovic defeated Russian ninth seed Ekaterina Makarova, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open in January, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 to book her eighth career Grand Slam quarter-final.
Watched again by German World Cup winning football star Bastian Schweinsteiger, the 27-year-old Ivanovic shrugged off a two and a half hour rain stoppage to secure her third three-set win in four rounds in Paris.
The 20-year-old Svitolina beat fellow former Roland Garros junior champion Alize Cornet on a windy, chilly Court Philippe Chatrier
6-2, 7-6 (11/9).
Svitolina, seeded 19, is only the second Ukrainian woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final after Kateryna Bondarenko made the last eight at the 2009 US Open.
It was Svitolina’s first win over Cornet in three meetings and the result ended French hopes in the women’s singles for another year.
She displayed nerves of steel to achieve victory, failing to serve out the tie in the 10th game of the second set and then allowing five match points to slip through her fingers.
However, she secured victory on her sixth match point when Cornet went long with a backhand, her 42nd unforced error of the tie.
Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka has added her support to growing calls for a review system to be introduced to the Roland Garros claycourts in keeping with the three other Grand Slam tournaments.
Her forthright comments came after a hotly-disputed line-call at the end of the second set in her French Open third round tie against Serena Williams late Saturday.
With the American top-seed holding advantage point to level the set scores, an Azarenka drive to the baseline was called out late as Williams hit the return into the net.
The call was overturned, but the umpire ruled that the point be played again, agreeing with Williams that she had been distracted by the call.
Azarenka was immediately incensed marching up to the net and berating her opponent who replied in kind.
The point was played again and Williams clinched the set, going on to win the tie in the decider 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Asked afterwards what she thought of the incident two-time Australian Open winner Azarenka replied: “I think, my honest opinion, that call was bullshit, and everybody knows it.
“But it’s part of the game. Sometimes it happens this way. But I think it wasn’t a fair call.”
Part of the problem Azarenka believes is that the Roland Garros tradition is not to use the Hawk-Eye system of player challenges that have been used in Melbourne, London and New York for years.

 

Ivanovic reaches quarterfinal after seven years

AFP, PARIS: Ana Ivanovic made the French Open quarter-finals for the first time since her 2008 title run Sunday where shell face Elina Svitolina, the first Ukrainian to make the last eight. Seventh-seeded Serb Ivanovic defeated Russian ninth seed Ekaterina Makarova, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open in January, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 to book her eighth career Grand Slam quarter-final. Watched again by German World Cup winning football star Bastian Schweinsteiger, the 27-year-old Ivanovic shrugged off a two and a half hour rain stoppage to secure her third three-set win in four rounds in Paris. The 20-year-old Svitolina beat fellow former Roland Garros junior champion Alize Cornet on a windy, chilly Court Philippe Chatrier 6-2, 7-6 (11/9). Svitolina, seeded 19, is only the second Ukrainian woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final after Kateryna Bondarenko made the last eight at the 2009 US Open. It was Svitolinas first win over Cornet in three meetings and the result ended French hopes in the womens singles for another year. She displayed nerves of steel to achieve victory, failing to serve out the tie in the 10th game of the second set and then allowing five match points to slip through her fingers. However, she secured victory on her sixth match point when Cornet went long with a backhand, her 42nd unforced error of the tie. Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka has added her support to growing calls for a review system to be introduced to the Roland Garros claycourts in keeping with the three other Grand Slam tournaments. Her forthright comments came after a hotly-disputed line-call at the end of the second set in her French Open third round tie against Serena Williams late Saturday. With the American top-seed holding advantage point to level the set scores, an Azarenka drive to the baseline was called out late as Williams hit the return into the net. The call was overturned, but the umpire ruled that the point be played again, agreeing with Williams that she had been distracted by the call. Azarenka was immediately incensed marching up to the net and berating her opponent who replied in kind. The point was played again and Williams clinched the set, going on to win the tie in the decider 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Asked afterwards what she thought of the incident two-time Australian Open winner Azarenka replied: I think, my honest opinion, that call was bullshit, and everybody knows it. But its part of the game. Sometimes it happens this way. But I think it wasnt a fair call. Part of the problem Azarenka believes is that the Roland Garros tradition is not to use the Hawk-Eye system of player challenges that have been used in Melbourne, London and New York for years.