TENNIS in DEPTH.

There will be a new champion at this year’s French Open as defending champion Ana Ivanovic was blown off the court by 19 year old Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-3. It was #9 against #8 according to the WTA rankings, but on court it was more like #2 against #8. Ivanovic had progressed nicely through the early rounds and appeared to getting her service under control as each match progressed, but today she ran into a young aggressive Belarussian who is making her way to the top.

Given that eighth seed Ivanovic had not lost a set in her run to the last 32, Azarenka’s 6-2 6-3 win came as a surprise.

Ivanovic said: “I started really well and felt good in the beginning but after the first point of the fourth game, I just started feeling so dizzy and I completely lost my balance.

“After that, it was really hard. I struggled with looking up. But she played well.”

Azarenka meets top seed and title favourite Dinara Safina next.

Safina has dropped just five games in her march to the quarter-finals.

The world number one continued her imperious form on clay with a comprehensive 6-1 6-0 win over French hope Aravane Rezai.

The Russian came into the fourth-round match having lost just one of her last 18 contests on clay and had dropped only five games during the first three rounds at Roland Garros.

Rezai could do little to halt her opponent’s momentum, taking only one game as the world number one cruised to victory in 53 minutes.

The French youngster held her first service game but was blown away thereafter, Safina breaking in the fourth and sixth to secure the first set 6-1.

The second set was even more one-sided, Safina imediately setting the tone by breaking Rezai in the first game before closing it out to love to advanvce to the quarter-finals.

She said: “I’m feeling very good right now.

“I’m trying to be very professional and not waste energy. I think this is something new to me – before I would maybe just go out there and play and waste my energy.

“No free points, no stupid mistakes. I’m just playing point by point.”

Rezai won last week’s tournament in Strasbourg and had only dropped one set on the way to the fourth round, but she was powerless to prevent Safina easing to victory.

“I didn’t feel helpless and I didn’t think it was impossible to defeat her, but she is the world number one and she deserves that ranking,” said the 22-year-old.

“I wasn’t capable of finding the solutions to put her in a difficult position. I didn’t play well.

“This is also my ninth match in a row. I’m a little tired and I have to take time off and rest.”

Maria Sharapova fought back from 4-2 down in the third set to oust 25th seed Na Li and set up a last-eight meeting with Dominika Cibulkova.

Former world number one Sharapova, who has slipped to 102 in the rankings after a long spell out with shoulder trouble, won 6-4 0-6 6-4 against the Chinese, despite struggling with cramp to her left thigh in the latter stages.

Sharapova needs the Roland Garros crown to complete her haul of grand slam titles.

Twentieth seed Cibulkova was the first player into the last eight, the Slovakian a convincing 6-2 6-4 winner over Agnes Szavay.

Hungary’s Szavay, the 29th seed, could not reproduce the exploits which dumped out third seed Venus Williams in the third round, as Cibulkova posted a 6-2 6-4 success on Suzanne Lenglen court.

Cibulkova looked a bag of nerves as she clinched victory on her third match point to reach her first grand slam quarter-final.

“I got so tight because I wanted to win so badly,” said the 20-year-old.

“It’s just amazing – I felt like I was going to cry. I play tennis for these moments.

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