Ana Ivanovic wins first French Open title

This time Ana Ivanovic was ready for the French Open final.
Showing no sign of the nerves that afflicted her a year ago, Ivanovic won her first Grand Slam title Saturday by beating Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-3.
By reaching the final, Ivanovic had already assured herself of being ranked No. 1 for the first time next week. And her performance was No. 1-caliber against Safina.
The 20-year-old Serb slugged winners from both sides and scurried to make saves that extended points, which led to plenty of entertaining rallies. Ivanovic won most of them, including one frantic exchange that she finished off with a delicate drop shot and ferocious fist pump.

A shaky Ivanovic played in her first major final a year ago at Roland Garros and won only three games from Justine Henin. But against Safina she was as cool as the 65-degree weather, showing hardly a bead of perspiration even after sprinting corner to corner to retrieve shots.
Ivanovic won match point with a solid backhand. After blowing kisses to the crowd, she used a chair to climb into the stands and share hugs with family and friends.
Henin, a four-time French Open champion who retired last month while ranked No. 1, watched and applauded from the front row.
For the third consecutive year Sunday, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will meet in the men's final. The top-ranked Federer will again try for the only Grand Slam title to elude him, and Nadal will attempt to become the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1981 to win a fourth consecutive French Open title.
Ivanovic's worst moment came serving at 4-3 in the first set, when she squandered a 40-love lead by losing the next five points. She quickly regrouped and won five of the next six games to take command.
First-time Grand Slam finalist Safina fended off a match point in consecutive rounds this week, rallying each time after she lost the first set and trailed 5-2 in the second.
But the Russian ran out of comebacks. She needed 20 points to hold for 3-4 in the second set, and from 15-all in the next game, Ivanovic swept the last seven points.
The final was the third in the past five major tournaments for Ivanovic. She was runner-up at this year's Australian Open.
The No. 13-seeded Safina was trying to join her brother, two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin, in winning a major title. They're the first sister and brother to reach a Grand Slam final.
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Ivanovic, Safina ready for showdown in Paris

PARIS (TICKER) —A new Grand Slam champion will be crowned Saturday when Ana Ivanovic meets Dinara Safina in the French Open women’s final.
The second-seeded Ivanovic is making her third appearance in a major championship while Safina, the No. 13 seed, is in her maiden Grand Slam final.
It’s been a remarkable tournament for both players, but for different reasons.
Ivanovic advanced to the final on Thursday with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over fellow Serbian and third seed Jelena Jankovic.

That win ensured that Ivanovic will overtake Maria Sharapova as the world No. 1 when the new rankings are released Monday. Not a bad bonus for the 20-year-old, who hopes to cap the week in style with her first Grand Slam title.

The 14th-ranked Safina, meanwhile, has guaranteed herself a return to the top 10 with an astounding effort in this major - an event she said “God has kept me in.”
The 22-year-old Russian completed an improbable run to the championship match Thursday with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over fourth-seeded countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Safina had advanced to the semifinals of this claycourt major with consecutive upsets of the top-seeded Sharapova and No. 7 Elena Dementieva. In both of those three-set victories, she was down 5-2 in the second set and survived a match point, before emerging a winner.
“Of course it’s a new experience for me,” said Safina, who had never been beyond the quarterfinals in a major prior to this. “I don’t want to think about (the final) at the moment. I still have some time (Friday evening), and then I will sit with my coach and we’re going to speak about the match.
“I think what has happened these last two weeks has been really good, and it’s just one more step to go. I just want to give everything that I have left inside me.”
She insists she is in good shape heading into the final despite her grueling run at Roland Garros.
“Actually, I’m feeling pretty good,” Safina said. “I recovered well after those two tough matches. Yesterday it was a little bit easier.”
Her run at Roland Garros, which guarantees her the No. 9 ranking regardless of her effort in the title match, is just the latest accomplishment in what has been a breakout season.
Safina also was a surprise winner at last month’s German Open in Berlin - the biggest title of her career to date - after defeating former No. 1 Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Dementieva en route to the crown.
She is 1-2 in her career against Ivanovic, though the pair have not seen each other since the Montreal semifinals in 2006. Safina won their only claycourt meeting in straight sets when they met in Berlin three years ago.
Safina’s older brother, Marat Safin, is a two-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1. The pair will become the only brother-sister combination in the Open era to have each won a major championship if Safina can complete her run here.
While Safina is arguably the emerging star of the women’s game, Ivanovic’s stock has been high for the past couple of years, and a win on Saturday would see her finally deliver on her undoubted talent.
Since winning her first Tier I title in Montreal in 2006, Ivanovic has notched four additional WTA crowns and reached the finals of two Grand Slams - last year’s French, and this year’s Australian Open.
But humbling, straight-set defeats in those finals have given rise to concerns over Ivanovic’s big-game temperament.
Even a run to the final four at Roland Garros without dropping a set failed to dispel the mutterings of those who feel the Serbian lacks the necessary all-round game to win the biggest titles in tennis. But her win over Jankovic in the semifinals likely silenced some of her doubters.
That win demonstrated Ivanovic’s battling qualities, first recovering from 0-3 down to win the opening set before working tirelessly to win the decisive third after Jankovic had leveled things on the back of a seven-game winning streak.
She said her loss to Henin in the final here last will serve her well Saturday.
“The other day someone asked me, ‘Are you going to forget the (2007) final and play a different one?’” Ivanovic said. “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. … I gained a lot of experience from that final and the final in Australia, so I really hope I can step up this time and make one more step.”

Federer vs. Nadal in French Open final for 3rd time

As the points piled up and the light faded, it was tough to decide which scenario had seemed less likely at the outset of the French Open semifinals Friday:
That Rafael Nadal would be so dominant during a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (3) victory over Novak Djokovic, a man who is, after all, ranked No. 3 and a Grand Slam champion?
Or that Roger Federer would run into so much trouble before winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 against Gael Monfils, a man who is, after all, ranked 59th and a major semifinalist for the first time?
Then again, by the end of the day, Roland Garros once more produced the likeliest of all championship matches: No. 1 Federer vs. No. 2 Nadal.

"Rafa again, across the net -- it's the ultimate test on clay. It would be so much better to win the French Open by beating him," Federer said. "It should be entertaining to watch."

The showdown Sunday is their third consecutive French Open final, their fifth Grand Slam final overall, and plenty is on the line.
Nadal can become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81 to win the tournament four years in a row. Federer can add the lone major trophy missing from his collection, thereby making him the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam and increasing his total haul to 13 majors, one shy of Pete Sampras' record.
"What's special is winning the tournament, not beating Federer," said Nadal's uncle and coach, Toni. "But if Rafael beats Federer, it means more."
Federer is 6-10 overall against Nadal, including 1-8 on clay and 0-3 at the French Open, where they also met in the 2005 semifinals.
"I will try everything," Federer said. "I hope I will finally win here."
Nadal hasn't lost at Roland Garros. Ever. He improved to 27-0 by beating Djokovic, who won the Australian Open in January and would have overtaken Nadal in the rankings by beating him.
But by the sixth game, Djokovic's cheeks were flush from exertion and he was gasping for air. Nadal make him look like a first-round opponent who had come through qualifying.
"Almost perfect," was the way Nadal described his performance. "Best match at Roland Garros so far, no?"
Federer's semifinal was second, so he took advantage of the opportunity to watch his nemesis.
"Rafa played fantastic for basically the entire time," said Federer, who helped his own cause by winning the point on 49 of 64 trips to the net against Monfils.
Nadal does his finest work along the baseline, and the longer the point, the better, as far as he's concerned. Against Djokovic, he won 32 of the 48 points that lasted at least 10 strokes, according to a tally compiled by The Associated Press.
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Ivanovic will move up to No. 1 in rankings for 1st time

PARIS (AP)—Ana Ivanovic is assured of becoming the 17th woman—and first from Serbia—to be ranked No. 1, regardless of how she fares in the French Open final.
She will move up from No. 2 when the WTA Tour’s new rankings are issued Monday, replacing Maria Sharapova in the top spot.
Ivanovic and two other women, No. 3 Jelena Jankovic and No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, all had a chance to take over at No. 1 after Sharapova lost in the fourth round at Roland Garros.
But Ivanovic beat Jankovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the semifinals Thursday, while Kuznetsova lost to Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-2.
The 20-year-old Ivanovic, who will play Safina in the final Saturday, said she wasn’t aware she had clinched the No. 1 ranking by beating Jankovic until after the match.
“Coming into this tournament, I didn’t expect that. I just came to play each match,” Ivanovic said. “Obviously every tournament you play, you want to win, so that still hasn’t changed. That’s still my goal.”

Open-Ivanovic beats Jankovic to reach final

PARIS, June 5 (Reuters) - Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic staved off a stirring fightback by compatriot Jelena Jankovic to reach the French Open final with a 6-4 3-6 6-4 victory on Thursday and clinch the world number one ranking.
The second seed, the runner-up last year, led by a set and 3-1 only for Jankovic to level and go ahead 3-1 in the decider, before Ivanovic recovered again to set up a final against Russian 13th seed Dinara Safina.
Ivanovic overcame a shaky start to recover from 3-0 down to take the first set and lead 3-1 in the second, only for a more aggressive Jankovic to win the next five games to level the match.
Jankovic twice led by a break in the decider but Ivanovic stormed back to reach her third grand-slam final with a victory that ensures she will overtake Russian Maria Sharapova at the top of the rankings when they are released on Monday.

(Writing by Simon Cambers, editing by Justin Palmer)

CDC: Tomatoes eyed in salmonella cases in 9 states

ATLANTA - An outbreak of salmonella food poisoning first linked to uncooked tomatoes has now been reported in nine states, U.S. health officials said Tuesday.

Lab tests have confirmed 40 illnesses in Texas and New Mexico as the same type of salmonella, right down to the genetic fingerprint. An investigation by Texas and New Mexico health authorities and the Indian Health Service tied those cases to uncooked, raw, large tomatoes.
At least 17 people in Texas and New Mexico have been hospitalized. None have died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Another 30 people have become sick with the same Salmonella Saintpaul infection in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Illinois and Indiana. CDC investigators are looking into whether tomatoes were culprits there, too.
In Texas and New Mexico, raw large tomatoes — including Roma and red round tomatoes — were found to be a common factor in the 40 illnesses. But no farm, distributor or grocery chain has been identified as the main source, said Casey Barton Behravesh, a CDC epidemiologist working on the investigation.
"The specific type and source of tomatoes is under investigation," she said.
Salmonella is a bacterial infection that lives in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals. The bacteria are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces.
Most infected people suffer fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps starting 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness tends to last four to seven days.
Many people recover without treatment. However, severe infection and even death is possible. Infants, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk for severe infections.
In Texas and New Mexico, the patients ranged in age from ages 3 to 82. Of the 40, 38 were interviewed. Most said they ate raw tomatoes from either stores or restaurants before becoming ill between April 23 and May 27.
Another 17 cases are under investigation in New Mexico, CDC officials said.

On the Net:
The CDC: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_he_me/storytext/med_salmonella_tomatoes/27732809/SIG=10kfb8sqr/*http://www.cdc.gov

Powerful quake rocks China.2

Hu Xei Mei, 75, from the Qiang minority group, stands near her house in a street in earthquake-hit Yingxiu town in Sichuan province June 2, 2008.(Nir Elias/Reuters)

Powerful quake rocks China

This combination picture of satellite images taken by Taiwan's National Space Organisation (NSPO) shows a lake being formed by landslides caused by the recent earthquake in Beichuan county, Sichuan province, China. The top picture shows the river in 2006. The second and third image show the lake after the quake. (Formosat image © 2008 Dr. Cheng-Chien Liu, National Cheng-Kung University and Dr. An-Ming Wu, National Space Organization, Taiwan/Reuters)

Ana advances to semis

Ana reached her second consecutive French Open second semi-final, at 20 years of age, when the No. 10 seed and vastly more experienced Patty Schnyder found herself completely outclassed. The 29-year-old Swiss girl has been threatening to break back into the top 10 recently but here she looked a long way behind her rival in terms of ability and was easily... more... »

C"mon ROGER!!!!!

I strong believe,the "KING" will be back!!

Federer fends off brave Benneteau challenge

Swiss player Roger Federer celebrates after winning against French player Julien Benneteau during their French tennis Open fourth round match at Roland Garros, on June 02, 2008 in Paris. Federer won 6-4, 7-5, 7-5.

DON"T FORGET "4 JUNE"

Ana to appear on cover of FHM

Ana will appear on the cover of the August issue of FHM. The 20-year-old was captured earlier this year near Palm Springs by renowned photographer Don Flood.

The feature is expected to run to at least eight pages and promises to include some of Ana's best ever imagery. It goes on sale in Britain on 1 July, and other editions around the world are due to be published around the same time.

Here is a sneak preview.

Photo: Don Flood / FHM

Perfect Ana storms into quarters

Ana produced a magnificent display as she advanced to the last eight of the French Open without dropping a single game. She beat Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic 6-0, 6-0.

More soon.

China says 200,000 evacuated because of flood risk

Chinese authorities had evacuated nearly 200,000 people by early Saturday and warned more than 1 million others to be ready to leave quickly as a lake formed by a devastating earthquake threatened to breach its dam.
The confirmed death toll from China's worst quake in three decades was raised Saturday to 68,977, an increase of about 120 people from a day earlier. Another 17,974 people were still missing, the State Council said. The increase was the smallest since the government started issuing a daily death toll shortly after the quake hit.

Hundreds of Chinese troops have been working around the clock to drain Tangjiashan lake
formed above Beichuan town in the Mianyang region when a hillside plunged into a river valley during the May 12 quake that killed more than 68,000 people.

The official Xinhua News Agency said work on a runoff channel had been completed. It quoted Yue Xi, deputy chief of the water and electricity section of the People's Armed Police, as saying water was expected to be discharged between Sunday and Tuesday.
Xinhua said 197,477 people were evacuated to safe ground by Saturday morning. It did not say how the exact number was arrived at, and many of the people may have moved just short distances to higher areas.
The news agency said Tan Li, the Communist Party chief of Mianyang, had issued another order that calling for all 1.3 million people in the area to be evacuated if "the barrier of the quake lake fully opens" and floods the area.
An official with the press office of Mianyang City Quake Control and Relief Headquarters, who would give only her surname of Chen, said Saturday's drill would involve testing the command system of various levels of government officials to ensure that any order to evacuate -- if it comes -- would be passed on quickly to everyone in the valley.
No public broadcast of the evacuation order would take place.
There was no sign that the dam was about to burst. Troops have sealed off Beichuan to the public.
Tangjiashan is the largest of more than 30 lakes that have formed behind landslides caused by the quake, which also weakened man-made dams in the mountainous parts of the disaster zone.
Millions of people in Sichuan are already living in tent camps and prefabricated housing, which have taken on the tone of new villages.
In Mianyang, about 200 families left their camps in flood-prone areas of the city and moved to higher ground in a wooded park on Fule Mountain. Most had camping tents and shelters made of tarp pitched under trees amid ornate gazebos and tea houses with tradition sloping yellow tiled roofs. Red signs on the buildings said, "Dangerous building, don't come near."
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Ana vs Cetkovska

Ana faces world No.77 Petra Cetkovska in the fourth round of the French Open on Sunday. She has never before played the 23-year-old Czech woman.

Cetkovska is a surprise package at Roland Garros, but she is clearly in great form. She reached the round of 16 thanks to wins over No.23 seed Alona Bondarenko, Galina Voskoboeva and Iveta Benesova, dropping just 17 games in the process. She is currently on a 13-match winning streak, having won consecutive ITF women's circuit events prior to the French Open.

"I know her from junior years, but I haven't watched her play for a long time," said Ana, when asked about the Czech player immediately after beating Caroline Wozniacki on Friday. "I don't know much about her, but I have time.

"I want to keep up the good work and work hard for every point. I think on a clay court that's very important, especially if the conditions are tough and the courts are heavy, you have to really work hard. There are not many winners, and you have to accept that, and that's what I'm working on."

The match is scheduled as the first on Philippe Chatrier court and will begin at 11am Central European Time (5am Eastern Time), weather permitting. Click here for live point-by-point scoring from Paris.