THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BRISBANE, Australia -- Former No. 1-ranked Amelie Mauresmo ousted top-seeded Ana Ivanovic in straight sets Thursday in the Brisbane International quarter-finals. Mauresmo, the Australian Open and Wimbledon champion in 2006, dropped serve only once while breaking Ivanovic five times to advance to the semifinals 6-3, 6-2. Ivanovic, the 21-year-old Serb who spent 12 weeks at No. 1 last season while making the Australian Open final and winning the French, frequently followed stinging forehands with unforced errors. Both had struggled into the quarter-finals, having to save match points in the second round. But while 29-year-old Mauresmo lifted her tempo, Ivanovic's game was erratic. Mauresmo converted her first breakpoint chance in the seventh game, then held for a 5-3 lead. She set up two set points with a lob that had Ivanovic leaping and swinging but missing, then wrapped it up when her rival put a forehand long. She broke again and led 3-1 in the second set before Ivanovic broke back, setting up breakpoint with a rifling forehand that just caught the line. But Mauresmo recovered to win the next four games, getting match point with another stunning lob and clinching it on her second match point when Ivanovic hit a backhand into the net. Mauresmo skipped into the net to celebrate her sixth win in eight matches against Ivanovic. Each had tough three-set matches in the second-round, with Ivanovic having to save two match points en route to a 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-1 over the 82nd-ranked Roberta Vinci. Mauresmo endured a 3-hour, 14-minute marathon -- her longest match in 13 seasons on tour -- and saved three match points before winning 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (11) over fellow Frenchwoman Julie Coin. Fifth-seeded Mauresmo, whose ranking slipped to No. 23 after a 2008 curtailed by injuries, next plays the winner of the later quarter-final between third-seeded Marion Bartoli of France and Italy's Tathiana Garbin. In the earlier women's quarter-final, second-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus lost three of her first four service games before recovering for a 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Lucie Safarova. The 19-year-old Azarenka credited a few words from her coach at a change of ends for sparking a comeback that started with her winning five straight games. "He's the best coach. He always knows when to say something," Azarenka said. In the men's draw, Spaniard Fernando Verdasco rallied for a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 win over Florent Serra of France. Third-seeded Verdasco, linked romantically with Ivanovic, dropped serve in the ninth game to surrender the opening set. But he took the second set in just 26 minutes and, after saving break point at 30-40 in the fifth game of the third with a pinpoint topspin lob, he finished off quickly. Verdasco, 25, helped Spain win the Davis Cup final over Argentina in and finished with a No. 16 ranking last season. His semifinal rival was to be determined later Thursday when 19-year-old Japanese player Kei Nishikori took on Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Mauresmo routs Ivanovic at Brisbane
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BRISBANE, Australia -- Former No. 1-ranked Amelie Mauresmo ousted top-seeded Ana Ivanovic in straight sets Thursday in the Brisbane International quarter-finals. Mauresmo, the Australian Open and Wimbledon champion in 2006, dropped serve only once while breaking Ivanovic five times to advance to the semifinals 6-3, 6-2. Ivanovic, the 21-year-old Serb who spent 12 weeks at No. 1 last season while making the Australian Open final and winning the French, frequently followed stinging forehands with unforced errors. Both had struggled into the quarter-finals, having to save match points in the second round. But while 29-year-old Mauresmo lifted her tempo, Ivanovic's game was erratic. Mauresmo converted her first breakpoint chance in the seventh game, then held for a 5-3 lead. She set up two set points with a lob that had Ivanovic leaping and swinging but missing, then wrapped it up when her rival put a forehand long. She broke again and led 3-1 in the second set before Ivanovic broke back, setting up breakpoint with a rifling forehand that just caught the line. But Mauresmo recovered to win the next four games, getting match point with another stunning lob and clinching it on her second match point when Ivanovic hit a backhand into the net. Mauresmo skipped into the net to celebrate her sixth win in eight matches against Ivanovic. Each had tough three-set matches in the second-round, with Ivanovic having to save two match points en route to a 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-1 over the 82nd-ranked Roberta Vinci. Mauresmo endured a 3-hour, 14-minute marathon -- her longest match in 13 seasons on tour -- and saved three match points before winning 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (11) over fellow Frenchwoman Julie Coin. Fifth-seeded Mauresmo, whose ranking slipped to No. 23 after a 2008 curtailed by injuries, next plays the winner of the later quarter-final between third-seeded Marion Bartoli of France and Italy's Tathiana Garbin. In the earlier women's quarter-final, second-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus lost three of her first four service games before recovering for a 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Lucie Safarova. The 19-year-old Azarenka credited a few words from her coach at a change of ends for sparking a comeback that started with her winning five straight games. "He's the best coach. He always knows when to say something," Azarenka said. In the men's draw, Spaniard Fernando Verdasco rallied for a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 win over Florent Serra of France. Third-seeded Verdasco, linked romantically with Ivanovic, dropped serve in the ninth game to surrender the opening set. But he took the second set in just 26 minutes and, after saving break point at 30-40 in the fifth game of the third with a pinpoint topspin lob, he finished off quickly. Verdasco, 25, helped Spain win the Davis Cup final over Argentina in and finished with a No. 16 ranking last season. His semifinal rival was to be determined later Thursday when 19-year-old Japanese player Kei Nishikori took on Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.
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