Thursday, June 5, 2008

Ivanovic to take over No. 1 ranking

Ivanovic to take over No. 1 ranking
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PARIS -- Ana Ivanovic is assured of becoming the 17th woman -- and first from Serbia -- to be ranked No. 1, regardless of how she fares in the French Open final.

She will move up from No. 2 when the WTA Tour's new rankings are issued on Monday, replacing Maria Sharapova in the top spot.

Ivanovic and two other women, No. 3 Jelena Jankovic and No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, all had a chance to take over at No. 1 after Sharapova lost in the fourth round at Roland Garros.

But Ivanovic beat Jankovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the semifinals on Thursday, while Kuznetsova lost to Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-2.

The 20-year-old Ivanovic, who will play Safina in the final on Saturday, said she wasn't aware she had clinched the No. 1 ranking by beating Jankovic until after the match.

"Coming into this tournament, I didn't expect that. I just came to play each match," Ivanovic said. "Obviously every tournament you play, you want to win, so that still hasn't changed. That's still my goal."





  • Sharapova set to lose No. 1 ranking
  • Ivanovic fist-pumps into semi-finals
  • Ivanovic makes French final, new No. 1
  • Eager K.C. eyes Open Cup berth
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