Ivanovic wins delayed Montreal semi-final

MONTREAL, Aug 20 (Reuters) Ana Ivanovic of Serbia today advanced to the finals of the Montreal Cup, finally defeating ninth-seeded Russian Dinara Safina 6-1 6-4 in the conclusion of their match which was delayed by rain yesterday.

Rain also resulted in a five-hour delay on Sunday but play finally resumed with Safina leading the second set 4-3 and Ivanovic serving.

Ivanovic held serve, then broke her Russian opponent to take the lead before quickly closing out the match.

Former world number one Martina Hingis reached the final of the injury-hit event on Saturday when Russian opponent Anna Chakvetadze was forced to retire in the second set.

Tournament organisers are hoping to get the final in on Sunday, but rain is still forecast for the rest of the day.

REUTERS SK PM0224