French Open finalist Ana Ivanovic cruised to semi-final with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Russian Maria Kirilenko at the Los Angeles Classic tuning up to US Open.

 

 

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia lunges for a backhand to Maria Kirilenko of Russia during the quarterfinals of the Los Angeles Classic WTA tennis tournament in Carson, California, August 10, 2007.

 

Kirilenko, who upset sixth-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in the second round earlier this week, started strong and led 4-1 in the first set when she had on-court treatment for blisters on her right foot.

 

Ivanovic won the next five games to take the set, and won the first two games of the second.

 

She broke again to lead 5-2 in the second set before Kirilenko broke back and then held serve.

 

Ivanovic is in the midst of a career year. In addition to becoming the first Serbian woman to reach a Grand Slam final, she made it to the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

 

This is her first tournament since then, and in the semi-finals she'll face either second-seeded compatriot Jelena Jankovic or 18-year-old Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

 

Fourth-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova rallied for a 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-1 victory over unseeded Virginie Razzano of France to reach the semi-finals.

 

Petrova will face either top-seeded Maria Sharapova or defending champion Elena Dementieva, who were due to face off in the marquee match of the night.

 

Sharapova has won five of her last six meetings with Dementieva, including a 6-1, 6-2 rout in the final at Indian Wells in 2006.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 11, 2007)