Ana Ivanovic suffers shock exit at the Aegon Classic

Ana Ivanovic

London, June 17 (IANS)

Michelle Larcher de Brito sent defending champion Ana Ivanovic crashing out of the Aegon Classic tennis tournament here in three dramatic sets on Wednesday.

Ivanovic had her chances, most notably when serving more the match in the third set, but Larcher de Brito was not to be denied, triumphing 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6) after two roller-coaster hours.

Two years ago, Larcher de Brito upset Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon, and she showed no sign of intimidation against Ivanovic. The World No. 135 came racing out of the traps, cracking two forehand winners to break in the opening game.

Another ferocious forehand a few games later helped her to an insurance break, and, despite a belated fightback from Ivanovic, the set was soon in the bag.

Ivanovic struggled to make an impression with her return in the second set, but was rewarded for her persistence when a couple of trademark forehands brought her the decisive break.

The former World No.1 cranked the pressure up another notch in the decider, pinning Larcher de Brito back to build an early lead.

“It's an unbelievable feeling - it was so nerve-wracking towards the end of the tie-break,” De Brito said after the win.

“I felt a lot better in my game after qualifiers and beating a couple of good players. There's always pressure to come back as defending champion and maybe she felt that a little bit today. I just went in there with nothing to lose and kept going for my shots. I love the grass, it suits my game,” she added.