Share

Serena survives Ivanovic scare

Cincinnati - Defending champion Serena Williams reached the semi-finals of the Western & Southern tournament in Cincinnati but not before having her mettle tested in a 3-6 6-4 6-2 win over sixth-seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic on Friday.

Williams, who will be chasing a calendar sweep of the four grand slams at the Aug. 31-Sept. 13 US Open, struggled with her serve and was forced to come from behind several times in a rematch of last year's final.

"Out of the previous nine times we've played I think we've gone three sets at least six times so I know she plays really well," the top-seeded American said in an on-court interview.

"She's been number one, she's won a grand slam. I knew it was going to be a big test for me today and I'm really happy I was able to get through."

Ivanovic did well to contain her opponent's powerful serve, most notably in the first set when she broke three times in four games to pull ahead 5-3 before delivering an incredible backhand winner to hold to love.

A topsy-turvy second set saw Williams grab the first three games and Ivanovic the next four before the world number one roared back to win the next three.

The Serb then grabbed the opening two games of the final set but Williams shifted into a higher gear to win six in a row and advance.

The American landed only 31 percent of her first serves in the opening set and 47 percent in the second but was much more efficient in the third, chalking up 68 percent.

"I just decided that if I wanted to stay out here and keep playing I had to pick my game up a level," said Williams who now has a 9-1 career record against Ivanovic.

"I had to do a 'Serena'. I kind of like that actually."

Up next for Williams will be 14th-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, a 6-4 2-6 6-0 winner over Czech Lucie Safarova, seeded seven.

In Friday's other quarter-finals, third-seeded Romanian Simona Halep plays Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova while unseeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic faces Slovakian qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

Results on the sixth day of the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Masters on Friday (x denotes seeded player):

Men

Quarter-finals

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Stan Wawrinka (SUI x5) 6-4, 6-1

Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) bt Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) 6-4, 6-2

Andy Murray (GBR x3) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA x12) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4

Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-3, 6-4

Women

Quarter-finals

Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Ana Ivanovic (SRB x6) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2

Elina Svitolina (UKR x14) bt Lucie Safarova (CZE x7) 6-4, 2-6, 6-0

Simona Halep (ROM x3) bt Anna Schmiedlova (SVK) 7-6 (7/3), 6-2elena Jankovic (SRB) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 6-4, 6-2

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1271 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1469 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2240 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE