Ivanovic aims to go one better

ANA IVANOVIC vowed to learn from her French Open heartbreak of 12 months ago after booking a place in the Roland Garros final for the second year in succession.

The number two seed prevailed in an all-Serbian semi-final clash against Jelena Jankovic yesterday, her 6-4 3-6 6-4 victory setting up a meeting with Dinara Safina in tomorrow’s final.

The 20-year-old is seeking her maiden grand slam title having failed at the last hurdle twice previously — the second time at this year’s Australian Open — but insists her listless 6-1 6-2 defeat to Justine Henin in the 2007 final has given her a well of experience from which to draw.

She said: “The other day someone asked me ‘are you going to forget the [2007] final and play a different one?’ But I don’t want to forget it, because it was a great learning experience.

“I learned a lot from Justine and the emotions I was feeling going on the court. So I really hope I can work hard on it and play different this year.”

Ivanovic’s victory over the third-seeded Jankovic means she is guaranteed to be the new women’s world number one — replacing Maria Sharapova — when the WTA rankings are released on Monday.

She insisted, however, that she is paying no attention to the rankings with her task at Roland Garros still to be completed.

“I’m very thrilled [about becoming the world number one], I didn’t know going on court today,” she said.

“Afterwards, in the locker room, a woman told me. I was obviously very excited.

“But, on the other hand, the tournament hasn’t ended and the rankings are coming after the tournament, so that’s the first thing.”

Jankovic, meanwhile, was saddened to miss out on claiming the top spot in the women’s rankings after losing to her arch-rival, but found some solace in her spirited fightback after finding herself a set down.

“I was trying my best,” she said. “It was good for me to come back in the second. I was a break and a set down and I did well to come back.

“The match could have gone either way. I’m disappointed that I didn’t go to the final, that I didn’t get the number one spot. This match was very important.”

When asked how she would try to get over the disappointment of defeat, Jankovic added with a grin: “I will have some dinner and get drunk.”

Safina, meanwhile, booked her first-ever grand slam final appearance with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The Russian had to fight back from a set and 2-5 down in each of her last two matches to first eliminate top seed Sharapova and then Elena Dementieva, and the straightforward manner of this latest win will be welcome ahead of what is likely to be a gruelling final.

The number 13 seed revealed afterwards that her miraculous escapes from the brink of elimination in the earlier rounds — when she had to fend off match points against both Sharapova and Dementieva before prevailing — made her more confident on court against Kuznetsova.

“I had to be aggressive, because there will be no third chance that this will happen,” she said.

“I think I was confident, like there’s nothing else that can happen. I went through everything to the final, so I had confidence in everything.”

The 22-year-old added that she was unfazed by reaching her first grand slam final.

“I think I will just take it as another match and just focus on myself and what I have to do,” she said. “It’s still the same court and still the same ball. It’s just how I prepare for the final.”

Kuznetsova, the only woman in the semi-final line-up to have previously won a grand slam title, revealed that she never felt “comfortable” against her fellow Russian.

“It was pretty horrible,” she said. “I felt pretty bad out there.

“I wasn’t comfortable at all. I couldn’t serve; I couldn’t play my forehand. I was playing probably one of my worst games.”