Ana Ivanovic secured her place in the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open following a highly-impressive 6-3 6-4 win over Marion Bartoli.
Serb overcomes Bartoli to reach last four at Indian Wells
Ana Ivanovic secured her place in the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open following a highly-impressive 6-3 6-4 victory over seventh seed Marion Bartoli at Indian Wells.
The 15th-seeded Serb, who had eliminated defending champion Caroline Wozniacki in the previous round, maintained her excellent form at the event she won back in 2008 with a strong all-round display.
Ivanovic broke Bartoli, who was runner-up last year to Wozniacki, three times before wrapping up the win in 77 minutes when her opponent pushed a forehand service return wide.
"I'm definitely very happy to be through and get my revenge for last year in the quarters," a smiling Ivanovic, who was beaten by Bartoli in straight-sets at the same stage 12 months ago, said in a courtside interview.
"It was a tough match but I served well. When I broke her (leading 4-3) in the first set, I think that was the turning point."
Ivanovic will now face Maria Sharapova after the second seed triumphed 3-6 7-5 6-2 in a marathon all-Russian encounter with Maria Kirilenko which lasted more than three hours.
Sharapova looked forward to facing Ivanovic, saying: "We haven't played for a while, and I think we're in both very different stages in our careers.
"She's been playing really well this week. It's good to see. We have had tough matches in the past."
