Clijsters Saves 5 Match Points To Deny Ivanovic

© Getty ImagesKim Clijsters rallies from 1-5 in the third set to stun Ivanovic.

Defending champion Kim Clijsters stunned No. 19 seed Ana Ivanovic Tuesday evening, saving five match points in a spectacular 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(5) comeback win in the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson. 

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Ivanovic led 5-1 in the final set and had 0-40 on the Belgian’s serve. After missing all three opportunities, the Serb had another chance in the game to clinch the victory, but couldn’t win the elusive point. She later had one more opportunity in Clijsters’ next service game.

The No. 2 seed advances to play Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals, a player she holds a 4-1 record against. They last met at Sydney in January, a match Clijsters won 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-final stage of the tournament. 

Down a set and coming off a rain delay, Andrea Petkovic rallied to defeat No. 6 seed Jelena Jankovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. The German player had back-to-back wins over Top 10 players, and will advance to her second semi-final of the year. She previously reached the finals at Brisbane. This was the first meeting between Petkovic and Jankovic, who is a former finalist at Miami in 2008.

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Petkovic found the strength to rally from behind, drawing on her confidence from yesterday’s win over No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. “I've just always believed in myself. I always believed that I can beat those top players. It was always just a matter of time,” Petkovic said.
 
Heading into today’s match, the No. 21 seed took much the same mindset as yesterday, but was surprised by Jankovic’s game. “Jelena started off playing so well that I didn't really get to play my game plan, and I was struggling and I was insecure in the beginning,” she said.
 
She overcame that insecurity, however, and will face either Maria Sharapova or Alexandra Dulgheru in the semi-finals.