Ana Ivanovic defeats Mirjana Lucic; reaches first semi-final of the season – AEGON Classic 2011
Former world number one Ana Ivanovic eased past Croat Mirjana Lucic 6-3, 6-4 on Friday to book a semi-final berth at the 2011 AEGON Classic here in Birmingham.
Looking for her first semi-final of the season, Ivanovic started the match on a very positive note. She successfully held on to her service games and made the only serve break of the set to earn a handsome 5-2 lead. Clinching four
straight points on her next serve game, she pocked the opener in style.
The contestants struggled to hold on to their serve games as the second set started. After both players exchanged serve breaks twice in the set, the match entered a very exciting phase. Leading 5-4 in the set, Ivanovic served for
the match. Using her powerful serves and strong baseline play, she secured her serve game comfortably to complete her victory in straight sets.
Serving with control and accuracy, the Serb hit 60 per cent of her first serves and also fired five aces to claim vital points. Converting four out of six break points in the match, she made the most of available opportunities.
Lucic looked solid in the beginning but she was unable to handle the pressure at crucial moments and hence paid the price. The Croat gifted eight double faults during the contest and managed to win only 31 per cent of the points
at the receiving end, showing that she was in a defensive frame of mind.
"I'm very happy with the win," the second-seeded Ivanovic said. "She served really well in the beginning. It was hard to get any break points, so I just tried to focus more on my serve, and then an opportunity presented itself
toward the end of the first set and I'm glad I took advantage of it. The second set was strange, as we kept exchanging breaks at the beginning, so I'm just happy I was able to hold my serve at the end."
Seeded second, the Serb looked in commanding touch in her quarterfinal clash against Lucic. She is yet to drop a set at the Women’s Tennis Association tournament. After having a disappointing clay court season, the 23-year-old
made a confident start to her campaign on the green surface making her the favourite to win WTA AEGON title.
Her next grass-court meeting will be against fourth seeded Daniela Hantuchova, who thrashed out American Alison Riske 6-2, 6-4 to reach that far.
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