By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer
PARIS (AP)—At last, Ana Ivanovic overcame her stage fright.
In two previous major finals, Ivanovic was so overwhelmed by the setting, so shaken by the stakes, that her focus fell apart and her shots went awry.
Not on this day.
Already assured of rising to No. 1 in the rankings for the first time, Ivanovic collected Grand Slam title No. 1 by beating Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-3 in the French Open final Saturday.
Rather than erasing the memories of those lopsided losses in championship matches against Justine Henin at Roland Garros a year ago and against Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open in January, Ivanovic used the bitterness to help her.
“Many, many people ask me, ‘Oh, you want to forget last year’s final?’ But I don’t, because it was a great learning experience,” said Ivanovic, a 20-year-old from Serbia.
She won only three games against Henin, then eight against Sharapova, and said of the latter defeat: “I had a few sleepless nights after that.”
Serbian player Ana Ivanovic is congratulated by relatives and coaches after beating Russian player Dinara Safina during the final of the French Tennis Open, at Roland Garros, in Paris, on June 7, 2008. Ivanovic won 6-4,6-3. AFP PHOTO / Jacques Demarthon (Photo credit should read JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images)
Serbian player Ana Ivanovic (L) kisses former title holder Belgium Justine Henin (R) after winning against Russian player Dinara Safina (L) at the end of their French tennis Open final match at Roland Garros on June 07, 2008 in Paris. Ivanovic won 6-3, 6-4. AFP PHOTO / Patrick Kovarik (Photo credit should read PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images)