Pierce Halts Ivanovic's Run

French Open finalist Mary Pierce brushed aside the 17-year-old Serbian Ana Ivanovic on Saturday to win a place in the last 16. In marked contrast to her struggle in the previous round, Pierce saw off the six-foot Wimbledon debutant with some ease, strolling away with the match 6-1, 6-4.

Pierce, now 30, took her time finding her way to No.3 Court, leaving her opponent to cool her heels for some five minutes before the warm-up could begin. But there was nothing leisurely about the way she demolished her opponent. Ivanovic, one of the sport's most intriguing young prospects, could do nothing to halt the tide.

Yet the contrast between the frequently strained-looking Pierce and the confident young Ivanovic could hardly be more marked. The Serbian teenager has a superstition; however many times she chooses to bounce the ball the first time she delivers serve in a match, she must continue to do the same until the last ball is struck.

Today she opted for just the one bounce, meaning she set about the business of getting the ball in court like lightning by comparison with Pierce.

Perhaps she should have taken her time. It was Pierce who got into her stride first, confidently demolishing the Serbian's serve for 3-1.

But, as observers had anticipated, Ivanovic was soon testing 30-year-old Pierce's speed about the court, requiring the Frenchwoman to save two points for the immediate break back. If Ivanovic could have got her first serve in consistently, it might have made all the difference.

As it was, Pierce was in the ascendancy, her powerful groundstrokes proving too strong. She broke again, and the set sprinted past in 32 minutes.

This was not the match which had been anticipated. Only on Thursday Pierce struggled horribly to edge past Julia Vakulenko, ranked 200.

Sure, Pierce is by far the more experienced, and came to Wimbledon fresh from her glorious run to the French Open final. But Ivanovic made a Slam breakthrough of her own at Roland Garros, defeating hometown heroine Amelie Mauresmo on her way to the quarter-finals.

Furthermore, she knows her way around a grass court having reached the junior final here a year ago. It is nine years since Pierce's best career performance here, when she reached the quarter-finals.

Yet Ivanovic could do nothing to alter the pattern of the match. She gifted the Frenchwoman an immediate break with a wild forehand, and Pierce was enjoying herself, grinning frequently and clenching her fist throughout the match.

Despite this result, Ivanovic remains a wonderful prospect. She jumped 608 places up the world rankings last year, and in January captured her first title, as a qualifier in Canberra, before reaching the third round on her Slam debut in Australia.

Pierce, meanwhile, has a good draw and knows she has a chance to equal her previous best Wimbledon display this year.