LOOK HERE, I’M BACK
SEVEN coaches and a seeming grand slam eternity later, Ana Ivanovic is back in the French Open quarter-finals for the first time since winning the tournament in 2008.
Ending a wretched run of outs at Roland Garros since trumping Russian Dinara Safina in the Roland Garros final, Ivanovic is back in serious contention for the tennis title.
Since posting her greatest triumph and rising to No.1, the Serb has contested only two major quarter-finals, while surviving the third round only twice in six attempts in Paris.
Instability and a penchant for hiring and firing coaches – current mentor Mats Merkel is her 13th – Ivanovic admits her volatile personality is strength and weakness.
“All the Serbians are like this,” she laughed. “We have combustible personalities and we are very emotional. But it’s good.
“It’s like everything. You can make it work for you or against you. There were times in my career where people said, ‘ OK, you have to be less enthusiastic, less emotional on court’.
“But actually, it takes more energy for me to stop that than to just let it out.
“I do get excited. It’s part of my personality, and I love it.”
The former world No.1 will face Ukraine 20-year-old Elina Svitolina for a place in her first semi-final since 2008.
“Coming into the tournament, I didn’t even really been expecting so much I would be sitting here,” she said.
“The exciting part (is) that I feel I can still improve.
“To reach semi-final would be amazing feeling. Not only for me but for anyone who is at this stage of the tournament.”
Svitolina, 20, exploited Frenchwoman Alize Cornet’s nerves 6-2, 7-6 (11-9) in a match marred by rain, dust, wind and contentious officiating.
Svitolina and Cornet ferociously disputed a line call, prompting Cornet to tell the umpire: “The ball is touching the back line and you know it.
“You’re looking in my eyes and you know it.”
The official ruled against Cornet, prompting whistling and jeers from a partisan crowd.
In the men’s draw, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has called for respect from the notoriously fickle Roland Garros crowds after almost squandering a precious opportunity when sledged by a spectator.
Serving late in the third set against fourth seed Tomas Berdych, Tsonga was disturbed when a fan screamed “wake up”
Stan Wawrinka careered into the last eight with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 destruction of 12th seed Gilles Simon.