Sharapova edges a resurgent Ivanovic in a terrific contest to reach Stuttgart semis

It couldn’t have been a better advertisement for women’s tennis! A battle between two French Open champions and glam girls just when the red clay season is beginning to heat up was the cynosure of all eyes. And the quarter-final quite lived up to its billing as Maria Sharapova edged past Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in an amazing display of tennis, winning just six more points in the end.

If you had been following Ana Ivanovic’s exploits over the past one week, you knew she wouldn’t bow out without a contest. Shouldering the responsibility of Serbia in the Fed Cup World Group play-offs, she posted resounding victories over World No. 6 Angelique Kerber and the 28th-ranked Mona Barthel. Ana had slowly been finding the confidence that brought her the only Slam at Paris and the numero uno ranking. She had continued that winning streak this week, dismantling Andrea Petkovic and Nadia Petrova to reach her first clay quarter-final since 2010.

As for Sharapova, she is right now going through the clichéd ‘you have to do it all over again to prove yourself’ cycle on clay. For the self-acclaimed ‘cow on ice’ on clay, the surface had been her bane, which she conquered finally last year. ‘Is Maria ready for an encore?’ has been one of the most frequently asked questions on tennis websites off late.

Riding on a momentum of 18 matches on the red dirt, it is obvious that the 6’2’’ blonde should have the edge, especially when she had bested the Serb the last four times. And it began very much that way. A ferocious Sharapova attacked Ivanovic’s serve, broke and went up 2-0. For all those enjoying the fabulous Friday in one of the best indoor clay courts at the Porsche Arena, this was perhaps a signal that the end was in sight soon. Not for Ivanovic though! It was pretty much a wake-up call, and the desire to be back in the thick of things showed.

She calmed down, held her serve comfortably and perhaps reminded herself of the 2007 Roland Garros semifinal match, which had been her last victory over the Russian. Out came Ana’s fluent, fluid and smooth forehands which she hit deep, forcing the Russian to scramble all over to reach them. The reward was a break back.

From then on, it was the story of Sharapova upping the aggression, advancing to the net and Ivanovic exuding that she was not intimidated by it. She showed she can put up a fight, decently, tactically, moving brilliantly, slicing and dicing the ball, bringing Sharapova out of her comfort zone and drawing the errors. We all knew it, didn’t we? Just that it was a validation of whether she believes in her abilities even now.

It turned out to be a good time to be an Ivanovic fan – the Ivanovic we knew till she triumphed at the terre battue in Paris. But it was only till that course-changing 5-5 in the first set. Champions seek these weak moments in their opponents, and no prizes for guessing what Sharapova, given the champion that she is, did just that. She pinned Ivanovic to her relatively weaker backhand side. Rattled, the World No. 17 obliged, and the serve which looked particularly good so far, picked its moment to falter as well. The defending champion broke and took the first set.

For many of the spectators, that told the story. But did it really? Ana decided to surprise everybody including Sharapova whom she began flat-footing in the second set. As the score reached 2-2 with both ladies holding serves, the Serb’s ball-striking suddenly became way better. She started going for the lines much more consistently and tried mixing it up with an array of delightful drop-shots. Targeting Sharapova’s second serves, she returned venomously.

Sharapova wouldn’t let it go away without adding a touch of her own brilliance. Serving at 4-4, Maria hit an incredible off-forehand and followed it up with an amazing volley. The match had suddenly reached heavenly standards. You surely didn’t want it to end so soon. With Sharapova serving 4-5 down, Ana answered all those prayers with some superb scorchers of forehand returns which left Sharapova stunned as she double-faulted. Ana pocketed the second set – the first set she took off Sharapova since 2007.

The third set ran away even before you could settle down. Ivanovic, in quite an anti-climax, played an abysmal game, giving Sharapova numerous chances to punish her second serve. The tigress in Sharapova just woke up. She looked ominous and merciless. She wielded her racquet like a sledgehammer and pounced upon everything that Ivanovic was generously gifting her. The scoreboard ticked 3-0 in Sharapova’s favour. That made Ivanovic wake up from her slumber and made her realise she needed to derail the Sharapova express.

If she couldn’t attack the smooth-sailing Sharapova, she had to show exceptional defence. And that’s exactly what she did. She produced a down-the-line forehand that will probably be talked about for the rest of the season. She broke back to get on the board 1-3 but got broken immediately.

Suddenly, the match was going in favour of the returner. Down double break, Ana increased Sharapova’s discomfort in sliding on the red dirt, drawing error after error. Perhaps the nice little rhythm she had built there helped her to hold her serve for the first time in the deciding set. From 1-4 down, all of a sudden the Serbian had worked her way into the match to make it 4-4.

But then, the inevitable event happened. Just when she needed it, her inability to hold serve at crucial junctures came to the fore and the nerves failed. When Sharapova drew the last backhand error from Ivanovic on her third match point, scores of Sugarpova fans in the stadium jumped in joy.

Dishing out a delectable spread of strokes all over the court in this tournament, a favourite amongst players and fans for its food, Ana was almost there. But the dessert was ultimately served by the lady who owns the candy brand, Sugarpova. With all the signs of a comeback on clay and with the heart and spirits that she showed today, let’s hope Ana Ivanovic soon turns the bitterness into something far more sweet during the rest of the clay season.