Holder Ivanovic blames dizziness for defeat

Holder Ana Ivanovic relinquished her French Open crown after suffering dizzy spells in a 6-2, 6-3 defeat by Belarussian teenager Victoria Azarenka on Sunday. The Serb, who has suffered a dip in form since winning at Roland Garros last year and has slipped from number one to eighth in the world, said she had started to feel unwell after the first point in the fourth game when she was a break down.

"I just suddenly started feeling so dizzy, and I completely lost my balance," Ivanovic told a news conference after the fourth-round defeat. "Ever since then it was really hard. I struggled with looking up. I started feeling very dizzy, and I was struggling a little bit to find my balance."

After struggling with a knee injury before the claycourt grand slam and with rivals Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova in blistering form, Ivanovic's departure was never going to make the sort of splash men's champion Rafael Nadal's exit did.

"I don't know if I can say that I'm surprised that I beat Ana, because I think I deserve to beat her. I played very well," said Azarenka. "I didn't let her play her game. I was just being I think too aggressive. "It's the first time I ever made the quarter-finals (of a grand slam). It's something really big for me. It's a new step, and I'm just really looking forward for the challenge to see how well I with do in my next step."

The ninth-seeded Azarenka, who has won three titles this year, took command after breaking in the third game and clinched the first set when Ivanovic's forehand clipped the netcord and bounced back into her side of the court. The 19-year-old Belarussian surged to a 5-2 lead in the second before Ivanovic, her title hanging by a thread, fought back with a couple of excellent passing shots and a dropshot to break.

Despite the crowd cheering "Ana, Ana", her resistance was short-lived as Azarenka served out the match to set up a quarter-final against world number one Safina, who has torn through the draw dropping just five games along the way. "She was just killing people so far," said Azarenka. "I just need to get ready, really well and play my best tennis to beat her."