May 15, 2014 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Maria Sharapova saw her Internazionali BDL d’Italia tournament come to an end on Thursday morning, losing to Ana Ivanovic in straight sets. Ivanovic snapped a seven-game losing streak to Sharapova, defeating the Russian 6-1, 6-4 to advance in Rome.
The Serbian Ivanovic cruised to a 6-1 victory in the first set that took just 31 minutes and broke Sharapova’s serve in the first game of the second set to go up 1-0.
The two would then go back and forth trading serve breaks as Ivanovic led 5-4. She was then serving for the match, and after a solid Sharapova return, she blasted a forehand winner that sealed the deal.
While Sharapova did not play a bad match by any standard, Ivanovic was just a little better in every way. She had 22 winners compared to Sharapova’s 16, and converted five of her eight break points.
Waiting for Ivanovic in the quarterfinals is Spain’s Carla Suarez-Navarro, who advanced past Simona Halep. The two have only met once previously, but Suarez-Navarro was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Also advancing was China’s Li Na who defeated Australia’s Sam Stosur 6-3, 6-1, who will take on Sara Errani of Italy next.
