Duelling fashion statements
January 26, 2008 |13:22 | Celebrities Fashion By : Team X
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA -- In this corner, wearing Nike's airy "court couture" white dress, Maria Sharapova.
And in this corner, wearing a fetching adidas cyan blue "edge dress," Ana Ivanovic.
Those are the contestants, and the outfits, for the Australian Open women's final tomorrow. Seldom, if ever, have two such tall, striking women as fair-haired Sharapova, 6 foot 2, and dark-haired Ivanovic, 6 foot 1, met in a photographer's dream of a Grand Slam final.
Russian-born Sharapova reached her fourth major final (titles at 2004 Wimbledon and the 2006 U.S. Open) with a one-sided 6-3, 6-1 victory over injured (lower back) Jelena Jankovic, while Ivanovic of Serbia made her second final (the runner-up at Roland Garros in 2007) by barely outlasting Daniela Hantuchova in a nerve-racking encounter, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4.
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In head-to-head matches, the two 20-year-olds are 2-2, but Ivanovic got one of those wins when Sharapova had to retire with an injury. The other came at the French Open on clay last year, 6-2, 6-1, when Sharapova was struggling to overcome her chronic right shoulder problem.
By last fall, the wonky joint had greatly improved and Sharapova dusted Ivanovic 6-1, 6-2 in the Tour Championships in Madrid on a surface similar to that at Melbourne Park.
Sharapova has been breathtaking at times during the past two weeks, outplaying world No. 1 Justine Henin 6-4, 6-0 in the quarter-finals after overwhelming former No. 1 Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 6-3 in the second round.
"You have your bad moments in your career and you have your good moments," she said after her semi-final win. "It's been a good ride so far."
It is likely to continue for one more match.
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