Ana Ivanovic defeated six-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams and reached the Australian Open semifinals for the first time in her career. The final score was 7-6 6-4. Ivanovic’s next opponent will be Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia who ended the remarkable run of Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska beating her 6-2 6-2.
The first set of the Ivanovic vs. Williams match was pulsating, with six consecutive breaks of serve. It was taken to a tiebreak which fourth seed Ivanovic won 7-3. Eighth seed Williams got to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but wasted it with inconsistent play while Ivanovic woke up and the former world No.1 couldn’t stop her from closing out the match.
In the other quarterfinal of the day, ninth seed Hantuchova defeated Radwanska, who produced moments of breathtaking skill but lacked experience against the Slovakian. Still, we won’t forget Radwanska’s great achievements of upsetting second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and 14th seed Nadia Petrova on the way to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
There is a considerable possibility of a historic all-Serbian final since Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic are on opposite sides of the draw. Still, Jankovic has to overcome a huge obstacle, in-form Maria Sharapova. Ivanovic, who is fitter than even before, has an easier opponent in the semis and has very good prospects of reaching her second career Grand Slam final.
