Ivanovic halts Sharapova

Henin marches on towards Monica Seles8217; feat of three consecutive French Open titles

Justine Henin stayed on track for her third straight French Open title by beating Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 6-2 in the semi-final today. The Belgian player will become the first woman to win three consecutive titles at Roland Garros since Monica Seles in 1990-92 if she beats seventh-seeded Ana Ivanovic in Saturday8217;s final.

Ivanovic advanced to her first Grand Slam final by beating Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-1. Henin improved to 6-0 against Jankovic head-to-head, including a win in the semi-finals of last year8217;s US Open. But it was the first time the Serb had lost in straight sets to Henin 8212; who also won here in 2003.

Jankovic rallied midway through the second set, and Henin had to save a break point before moving 5-2 up. Jankovic double-faulted to go 15-40 down on her serve and give Henin two match points. She clinched victory at the first attempt when Jankovic8217;s forehand sailed long.

Henin clenched her fist and blew a kiss to the crowd. In their only previous meeting two years ago, Henin beat Ivanovic in straight sets on clay in Warsaw, Poland. Ivanovic easily beat Sharapova.

8220;I was thinking the game would be much closer,8221; Ivanovic said. 8220;It8217;s my first Grand Slam final. It8217;s hard not to get overexcited.8221;

The 19-year-old Serb was happy with her performance. 8220;I think I played a pretty good match,8221; Ivanovic said. 8220;I knew I had to be aggressive from the beginning, I didn8217;t make many unforced errors, my serve worked well.8221;

Ivanovic neutralised Sharapova8217;s hitting power by keeping her on the run. 8220;She is an aggressive player and likes to dominate,8221; Ivanovic said. 8220;I knew she was not a great mover on the clay.8221;

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Sharapova8217;s defeat was reminiscent of her 6-1, 6-2 loss to Serena Williams in the Australian Open final in January. The Russian was looking to reach her third consecutive final in a major after winning last year8217;s US Open.

But her performance was riddled with unforced errors and five double-faults, and Sharapova lasted little more than an hour on Center Court. Playing in her first French Open semi-final, Sharapova struggled to chase down Ivanovic8217;s pinpoint strokes.

Sharapova trailed 5-0 in the second set, before holding for 5-1. Ivanovic closed out the win with her fifth ace.

Sharapova had 25 unforced errors to 11 for Ivanovic and hit only four baseline winners. Ivanovic started quickly, holding her opening serve and then broke Sharapova immediately with a strong forehand flick down the line.

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Sharapova double-faulted to go 5-1 down, broke back for 5-2, but lost the first set in 32 minutes when she double-faulted for the fourth time.

Ivanovic broke Sharapova in the second game of the second set. In the next game, Ivanovic was briefly in trouble at 0-30 down before rallying to win the next four points to move 3-0 up.

That was as close as Ivanovic got to being under pressure. Sharapova wasted several chances to hold serve in the fourth game, and was broken again when she hit a forehand into the net after a brief rally.