Crowd darlings Sharapova, Ivanovic clash tonight

MANILA, Philippines – Two of the most beautiful and biggest tennis stars are on collision course Saturday as fan-favorites Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic are scheduled to meet in the women’s singles match in the second day of the International Premier Tennis League at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Sharapova’s Manila Mavericks will look to bounce back from an opening-day setback against Ivanovic’s Indian Aces, who are tipped as early title favorites following their impressive play on Friday.

Ivanovic coasted to an easy 6-0 victory over another on-looker Daniela Hantuchova in her lone match in the tournament opener.

In contrast, Sharapova had a rough start in the inaugural team-based tournament.

Sharapova lost her first match in the mixed doubles with Andy Murray as her partner but bounced back strong in the singles match with an epic come-from-behind win against Kristina Mladenovic.

“I didn’t want to lose my first singles match in Manila,” Sharapova said right after the match to the roaring approval of the sizeable crowd. “I did my best.”

True enough, Sharapova mustered her best effort in overcoming a 2-5 deficit to win it via shootout.

Sharapova admitted she was still adjusting to the new rules that called for a quicker pace – a 20-second shot clock between points, calling a power point, which counts as double when receiving a serve, and the tie-breaker, which is a five-minute shootout – but vowed to get better as the tournament progresses.

“I got the hang of it but I will be better tomorrow (Saturday),” firing a warning to Ivanovic, who was quicker to adjust to the unique format.

The Serbian world no. 5 Ivanovic needed only one game to settle in and looks forward to her face-off with the world no. 2.

“It’s gonna be an exciting match tomorrow (Saturday) night,” Ivanovic said. “It will be interesting to play her in this format and see how it works out.”

Though Ivanovic had the crowd with her in her match against Hantuchova, she isn’t guaranteed to enjoy another crowd support especially against Sharapova, the most popular female tennis here.

“We’re playing the home team, and it’s gonna be a lot of fun. I hope the crowd gets more involved,” Ivanovic said.