SPORTS/OLYMPICS> Tennis
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SPORTS/OLYMPICS> Tennis
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Ivanovic crowned queen of Roland Garros
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-08 10:31 PARIS - A new French Open era dawned on Saturday as Serbia's Ana Ivanovic mesmerised Russian Dinara Safina 6-4 6-3 to win her maiden grand slam title.
Ivanovic's triumph confirmed her status as the new number one in women's tennis and made amends for her nerve-ridden display of 12 months ago, when she won just three games in the final against Justine Henin. Since Henin announced her retirement 24 days ago, Ivanovic had been tipped as the Belgian's heir-apparent. On Saturday, she proved that the Roland Garros crown was a perfect fit. Aptly, Henin was on hand to mark the changing of the guard by handing over the trophy to the new queen of women's tennis. "As a kid when I used to go by bike to practise, I used to dream of this...it's just been amazing," Ivanovic, the first woman representing Serbia to win a major title, told the crowd. For Safina, it was a disappointing end to what had been a remarkable two weeks. Seeded 13th, she rolled over three top 10 players to reach the final of a major for the first time. The run had included saving match points against the now dethroned world number one Maria Sharapova in the fourth round and seventh seed Elena Dementieva in the quarter-finals. However, on Saturday she could not manage another great escape. "I didn't have any more of that fire that I had in those matches I was just tired, mentally and physically," said Safina, who was trying to join her brother Marat in the grand slam winner's circle. "Even though I wanted to, my heart couldn't and my body couldn't do it anymore." Second seed Ivanovic stepped on court looking pretty in pink and wearing a white sun visor -- perhaps in anticipation of the sun that never broke through the menacing storm clouds hovering over Philippe Chatrier Court. But sun or no sun, it was Ivanovic's day to shine. Safina dropped her serve in the first and fifth games to trail 4-1 in the opening set and in doing so appeared to lose her self-control. Safina missed a forehand, she whacked her racket against her shoe. She double-faulted, the racket was bounced on court. Ivanovic hit a winner and Safina raised her arm high as if to smash her racket to the ground but thought better of it. The Russian managed to calm down her nerves to claw back to 4-4, producing a scorching backhand down the line winner on break point but her respite was short-lived. WILD ERRORS Ivanovic pounced on the next game, capitalising on three Safina errors, to once again nose ahead. With Ivanovic serving for the set, Safina had two chances to draw level but both went begging and an over-cooked backhand gifted the Serb the set. The 20-year-old celebrated with her trademark fist pump. Her cry of "Hajde" soon followed. The Russian's forehand was proving to be a double-edged sword, however, producing sizzling winners and wild errors in seemingly equal measure. Sensing that Safina's famed powers of resilience were crumbling fast, Ivanovic turned around a losing cause to win the point of the match. In the third game of the second set, Safina had Ivanovic on the run during a 26-shot rally which then turned into the players trading sky-high shots. The Russian moved into the net to finish off the point with an angled winner only to see the Serb flash a backhand volley past her outstretched racket. Safina's racket felt the full force of her anger and Ivanovic went on to break four points later. If Safina had any fight left in her, she lost it in the seventh game which lasted for 13 minutes. Seven deuces, three double faults and a crying child in the crowd only added to her frustration. Six minutes later, it was all over. After a scrambling Safina shovelled the ball into the net, Ivanovic dropped her racket, crouched behind the baseline and covered her face in disbelief. She then faced her first hurdle of the day when she tried to follow a tradition set by Pat Cash at Wimbledon 21 years ago -- but eventually managed to clamber through the VIP stands to share her moment of triumph with her family and friends.
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