Former top-ranked Ana Ivanovic continued her impressive clay court season run after outlasting Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain to book a semifinal berth at this week’s Italian Open in Rome.
Ivanovic was fresh from ending a seven-match losing streak against Maria Sharapova and backed it up with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Navarro.
“It was a very hard match from the first moment and I expected it because she’s a very good player on clay,” Ivanovic said. “Her shots are heavy, but that helps me hit winners. I was trying to find a balance between the long rallies and trying to come in and take the ball early. I was happy to be able to hold tough in the third set and prevail.”
Ivanovic will next face Serena Williams. The Serbian does have a 1-4 head to head series record over Williams. However, her lone win came from their most recent meeting at the Australian open fourth round.
“I think it’s a different match on a different surface,” Ivanovic said. “There’s a big difference between clay and hard. Both of us have a clear style of game that can be affected by the surface, but it will be a tough match regardless. She has won a lot of tournaments on clay and she’s good on any surface. It’s always challenging to face such a good player. She has done a lot for women’s tennis.”
