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Safarova denies Ivanovic to reach first major final at Roland Garros

Xinhua, June 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

Lucie Safarova continued her giant-killing run here on Thursday, beating former French Open winner Ana Ivanovic in her first semifinal showdown at Roland Garros.

En route to facing the 2008 champion, Safarova had defeated No. 2 seed Sharapova in the last 16, which was her first top 5 win of this season.

Double-faulting on match point while leading 5-4 in the second set, Safarova, seeded the 13th, denied three break points from the seventh seed but failed to pull off the fourth, dropping her serve to make it 5-5.

The 28-year-old Czech, however, broke straight back in the 11th game and held the next with powerful forehand to serve out the match 7-5, 7-5.

She trailed 5-2 in the first set against the seventh-seeded Serb, before launching an impressive comeback and holding to love in the 12th game to clinch the first set.

With the victory, Safarova, whose best previous slam showing was a semifinal defeat at Wimbledon last year, has reached her first Grand Slam final.

Safarova is the first Czech woman in 34 years to reach the French Open final. Endi