Maria Sharapova does away with Ana Ivanovic to reach the quarters – Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2012
As it was anticipated prior to the match, the belligerent world number two, Maria Sharapova, outplayed the former top ranked Serbian opponent, Ana Ivanovic, in the third round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday. The
exciting clash lasted for one hour and 47 minutes before the 13th seed Serbian walked through the exit doors of Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, with sheer dismay. Sharapova settled the score line at 7-6(4), 6-3, to reach the quarter-final round of
the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier 5 clay-court event.
The Russian beauty queen, Sharapova, faced some solid resistance early in the contest but her aggressive game play help her manoeuvre through the sets to register an emphatic victory. It was the seventh encounter between these
two contenders, with the Russian second seed riding a three-match winning streak. She sustained her winning record against the former world number one and stretched her lead to 5-2 in the all-time head-to-head series against her.
Ivanovic stepped on the courts as the lesser favourite player for winning the battle but she was expected to pose a far better performance than she actually exhibited on Thursday. The 24-year-old Serb fought valiantly in the opening
set and gave some real tough time to the world number two opponent. She managed to drag the opener into a tie-breaker round but crumbled under the pressure situation in the decider to let Sharapova flay away to a 1-0 lead in the match. Once getting into her
winning groove, Sharapova cruised through the second set and cashed in most of her opportunities to turn the tables on Ivanovic in style.
"I started the match off really slowly. It was really important for me to get back into that set," Sharapova said. "When she had the set points I think I was more consistent in those moments, and that paid off. Ultimately it helped
me with my confidence later when she was up a break again in the second set."
The second seed Russian will face another former world number one opponent, Venus Williams, in the quarter-final battle on Friday.
"We haven't played each other for a long time, but we've faced each other many times before and seen each other play too," Sharapova said off Venus. "It's great to be at this stage again and playing each other. I hope it'll be
a great match."
Sharapova is eyeing not only for the gold in Rome but also the world number one spot. With the reigning top-ranked Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka, pulling out of the tournament, it seems to be a perfect opportunity for Sharapova
to climb to the number one spot in the WTA rankings.
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