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 Going to the death eatersIvanovic, Jankovic, Sharapova sweat it outBy Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net
Leave it to the sweet-swinging Serbs to end Thursday in short hack of a cough. Ana Ivanovic waltzed 6-2, 6-2 over Czech Lucie Safarova and Jelena Jankovic romped to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Sybille Bammer. “See what Serbian tennis does, we get you out of here quickly," said Jankovic. After she seared Safarova to earn herself a quarterfinal poster girl match-up against Maria Kirilenko, it sounded like Ivanovic had described herself as an awkward player, but the 19-year-old Serbian was quick to correct: ''all-court!" That's for sure and should Ivanovic ever complete her transition from being an inside-the-baseliner to a net cord swarmer, she could grab the No. 1 ranking. While she may not be the best volleyer amongst the top 10 (that award goes to Amelie Mauresmo, with Justin Henin coming in second), she's getting closer by the day. She punches the ball smoothly off both sides and has good instincts around the cords, plus she covers the spaces between the sidelines like a Ferrari hugging the wall. As Andy Roddick has found out, being a successful net rusher is not all about volleying. It’s about the approach shots, the transition game, knowing which way to leam when you are up at net, being able to stretch to both sides and being able to recover after your first (and second volleys). Ivanovic does all those things pretty well. "Playing volleys brings excitement," she said. The ever-smiling brunette has been the most impressive youngster on tour since May, when she won Berlin. Her roaring march to the Roland Garros final is well chronicled, as was her limping effort to the Wimbledon semis. After slightly tearing a ligament in her left knee, she went back home to rest and then headed to the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona to rehab and train. Her trainer, Scott Burns, is friendly with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, who recommended a stint there if she needed a new locale to train. During late July, she went on to the academy and worked with a slew of coaches. Once her knee was feeling sound, they had her running up and back, to and from the net. With her forehand already a screamer, her backhand solid and hard and her return game something to fear, the next step was obvious. "I was coming in and going out and I can already see I’ve improved," she said. "I have powerful shots and if I can come in and finish with a volley, it gives them less time to recover. I also improved my side to side [movement]. Girls are powerful, so you have to go be able to go back a few steps, and then you have to be fast enough to go forward and finish the point." Just two matches into the tournament, Ivanovic is on a mini-roll and is bubbling with enthusiasm. She missed the competition and is super-eager to get her hardcourt feet stained with asphalt. With the Williamses injured, Justine Henin taking a long breather and Maria Sharapova well within her sights given her French Open stomping of the Russian, Ivanovic has high hopes for the next month. “I feel more confident in my game and I feel like I’ve improved a lot,” the fifth-ranked Serbian said. “Reaching the Top 10 was my goal for a while and now I feel [my] game is at really high level.” It may be premature to think that Ivanovic can win the US Open, but it’s not too soon to think she can finish the year in the Top 3. Even if Venus and Serena have No. 1-type games when they are on, it’s doubtful that they will play enough to finish the year amongst the Top 3, even if one of them wins the US Open, because neither of them has ever liked fall play. But Ivanovic doesn’t have that many points to defend after Toronto and is itching to finish 2007 with a flourish. With her power and precision, she could make serious hay in the thin air Euro indoor tournaments. But none of that matters now, as Ivanovic has a tough three matches ahead, but if she continues to maintain confidence on her return game (she stands at a 45-degree angle to her right to return serve, favoring her blowtorch forehand), she could win her first US hardcourt title and launch herself into the top tier of favorites. FACING KIRILENKO First up is Kirilenko, Ivanovic’s friend who bested her former doubles partner, Gisela Dulko. Kirilenko can match anyone from the backhand side these days, but will have to retrieve doggedly for three hours to win that match. And then it could be her great rival Jankovic who, despite two easy wins, says she has no rhythm and feel for the ball. “Imagine what I might do if I start playing well,” said Jankovic, who will face Belarusian big hitter Victoria Azarenka. Maybe she’ll stop over-thinking, which is what she says she is doing now. Dementieva, however, is playing with instinct, even if she feels a bit underappreciated on court by her boyfriend, Maxim Afinogenov of the Buffalo Sabres, and her brother, Vsevolod, who sat courtside while she wore down Hantuchova, who said that in the morning, she was so sick she didn’t think she could play, but did so as not to disappoint the fans. Put a star on her forehead. Afinogenov and Vsevolod sat calmly by while Dementieva yelled at them when she made unforced errors. She has a little of her childhood friend Anastasia Myskina in her. She later said that they know better than not to respond to her, but wished they would get of their chairs and cheer. “I’m trying to get them to support me more, but I think they are bored watching me play and just want to go to the beach,” she said. “I was trying to make it quick for them. I’d like to see them get more emotional.” As emotional as Yuri Sharapov when he leaps out of his seat and fist pumps at Maria?“Not that way. That’s too much.” Yuri did a bit of that in Maria’s sweaty and extremely tough win over Krajicek, who at this point, looks like a top 10 player if she keeps her head on straight. She matched Sharapova stroke for stroke under the hot sun and with a stiff wind blowing up from the south.Sharapova was broken nine times in the match, but Krajicek was busted 10 times. "It felt like a break fest out there," Sharapova said. "Back and forth going to the [north side of the court]. I felt like I was going to the Death Eaters and they were going to eat me up. It was one of those days when you go home and are just happy to get a "W." Sharapova will Dementieva, who beat in her the LA semis last year. Both women said the contest would rest on who serves and returns better. Both have returned super well, but neither has served consistently great. Notes: Nadia Petrova smoked Katarina Srebotnik 6-1, 6-2 and will face France's Virginie Razzano, who put down an angry Sania Mirza 6-1, 7-6. Mirza lost her temper after the chair umpire overruled an apparent winner from the other side of the court in the second point of the tiebreak and finally lost it 8-6. Sania still had her chances, but her racket tosses and ball firings didn’t help. "I have a short temper off court and we are all human," said Mirza, who added that she has pulled out of next week's tournament in Toronto to get some rest after four straight weeks of play As expected, Martina Hingis pulled out of Toronto, too. … Serena Williams entered New Haven. … Ivanovic says she’s sticking with her long time financier and manager, Dan Holtzman, rather than going to a traditional agency. “It’s not a classic manager player relationship, he’s also a good friend of mine and I would never change him for any other company,” she said. “He’s always supported me and is doing the best he can for me. Plus, all of his focus is on me." © TennisReporters.net 2007
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