This years Roland Garros saw pretty new results. It was very shocking in case of women’s results. Especially top players like Williams and Sharapova being chucked out of the arena proving that there are few young players coming up.
The game was a crucial one for Ana Ivanovic to confirm her ranking after Henin has retired recent past. I was crazy about Ana. I have seen only three players in the past to play the game fierce fully. Now Ana is lining in that queue. Henin is my all time favorite player who has got a good back hand stroke. After watching few matches of Ana I was reminded of Henin. The one added feature of Ana is that she is gorgeous.
In a tense opening set, Ivanovic got the better of five breaks of serve. Safina got an opportunity to break Ana’s serve. But lost and eventually Ana started leading the game (2-0). Ana progressed to make a convincing lead (4-1). Safina was not ready to give up. She broke Ana’s serve and leveled the score (4-4). From here started a really interesting game. But Safina was not able to hold the composure which resulted in losing the set (4-6) to Ana. When Safina needed to heap on the pressure she faltered and a series of errors handed the break straight back, and then helped Ivanovic come through an edgy service game to take the set.
With a set lead Ana was hoping to make the victory simpler one. And two breaks in the second were enough for Ivanovic to make up for her heavy defeat by the now retired Justine Henin in last year's final. It was really a simpler one when Ana won the French Open convincingly (6-3). Safina was not able to come back for Ana had those beautiful fore hand strokes.
The 20-year-old second seed beat Russia's Dinara Safina 6-4 6-3 to become the first Serbian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title."I'm just so happy I kept my composure until the ends. Last year's final was a great learning experience." said Ivanovic
"I didn't have any more the fire that I had those matches. I was tired." said Safina afterwards.
Victory was wrapped up in one hour 38 minutes and Ivanovic immediately headed into the stands to celebrate with her supporters.
"This was amazing. I still don't realise what happened. As a kid, when I used to go by bike to practice, I used to dream of this." she said.
Ana was cruising her way right from the first round. She stumbled only to Jelena Jankovic where she had to push herself for the deciding set to be in finals. In all the other rounds she just tasted the victory with much ease.
ANA IVANOVIC’S STATISTICS
Finals
Dinara Safina RUS (13) 4 3
Ana Ivanovic SRB (2) 6 6
Semifinals
Jelena Jankovic SRB (3) 4 6 4
Ana Ivanovic SRB (2) 6 3 6
Quarterfinals
Patty Schnyder SUI (10) 3 2
Ana Ivanovic SRB (2) 6 6
4th Round
Petra Cetkovska CZE 0 0
Ana Ivanovic SRB (2) 6 6
3rd Round
Caroline Wozniacki DEN (30) 4 1
Ana Ivanovic SRB (2) 6 6
2nd Round
Lucie Safarova CZE 1 2
Ana Ivanovic SRB (2) 6 6
1st Round
Sofia Arvidsson SWE 2 5
Ana Ivanovic SRB (2) 6 7
Ana Ivanovic said the success that she and fellow Serbs Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic have enjoyed helped inspire her to French Open glory.
Ivanovic, who becomes world number one on Monday, beat Jankovic in the last four, while semi-finalist Djokovic won the Australian Open in January.
"Going into today's final I thought of Novak's victory earlier this year. And I thought, 'Why not? I can win a title as well.'It's something that will motivate us and I'm sure he will also reach his goal of being number one one day. He has great potential. Jelena, on the other hand, she also is a great girl and I really hope she can achieve her dreams." said Ivanovic.
"Obviously when I was in the court I realised she was nervous. I try also to look back at the way I felt last year, and it made me more calm because I had those experiences and I went through that."
"I knew she was a great fighter, and I knew I had to take any chance I had. I had lot of chances in the first set which I didn't use. She came back, and it was 4-4, and it was tough because a lot of emotions build up inside. You knew you had a chance, double break, and then all of a sudden you're equal again. So to keep my composure at that point, it was huge for me."
After wrapping up the victory, Ivanovic was handed the trophy by Henin herself."I was surprised," admitted Ivanovic. "But at the same time I was glad to see her there. She's a great champion. She won this tournament so many times. When she handed me the trophy, it was a very thrilling moment. She said, 'Well done, you really deserve it.' It meant a lot to me."
And the newly crowned queen of Roland Garros does not plan to stop at one Grand Slam title.
"I feel so happy. I have no words to describe that. But winning a Grand Slam is something I dreamt since I was a little kid, so achieving that goal, it's very thrilling. You know, you work so hard and you're off the court, on the court, and you put so much effort into it. I loved the game and I enjoy playing, so this is the best reward I can get. It's my incentive to keep working hard and win more of these trophies."
Looking ahead to Wimbledon later this month, she added: "I go there wanting to win a title because every tournament you play you want to win. I think I have a good chance. I've been working really hard, and this hard work gives results. So, next week I have time to relax a little bit, recover, and also prepare on the grass before Eastbourne and Wimbledon."
Safina admitted that she had run out of gas after a dramatic run to the final that saw her save match points against both Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva.
"I was a little nervous before the start but I felt good once I stepped on the court," said the Russian. "If I was a little fresher maybe things would have been different. Those comebacks took a lot from me and against Ana you have to be really aggressive. I was missing a little. She was fresher and she was doing to me what I wanted to do to her.
"I tried but there wasn't the fire there any more. I was tired mentally and physically and my heart and body just couldn't do it. But now I have reached a Grand Slam final I will keep working harder because I believe in myself. I'll be a lot tougher. I am a perfectionist."
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