By Adrianna Outlaw | Wednesday, June 17, 2015

 

Qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito upset defending champion Ana Ivanovic, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6), to reach the round of 16 in Birmingham.

Photo credit: Christopher Levy

Michelle Larcher de Brito can transform Grand Slam champions into endangered species on grass courts.

The 135th-ranked qualifier stunned defending champion Ana Ivanovic, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6) to advance to the Birmingham round of 16.

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"That was just unbelievable," Larcher de Brito said in her on-court interview afterward. "It was so nerve-wracking at the end of the third-set tiebreaker. But I'm so glad I got through."

It was Larcher de Brito's second career conquest of a Top 10 opponent on grass. She upset then world No. 3 Maria Sharapova, 6-3, 6-4, at the 2013 Wimbledon. Larcher de Brito owns grass-court victories over three former Grand Slam champions: Ivanovic, Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

"I just love the grass," Larcher de Brito said. "It suits my game. It's a great surface to play on and I can say it's my favorite surface."

Ivanovic smacked 16 aces and battled into the third-set tie break. The Roland Garros semifinalist curled a running forehand winner down the line to even the tie break at 4-4, celebrating with an enthusiastic double fist pump, but Larcher de Brito was not fazed.

The 22-year-old Larcher de Brito pounded away at the Serbian's weaker backhand wing earning double match point at 6-4. Ivanovic saved both match points, drawing errors, but netted a forehand down the line to face a third match point.

A tight Ivanovic double faulted, her sixth double fault of the match, to end the one hour, 48-minute match.

"She played an unbelievable match," Larcher de Brito said of Ivanovic. "Obviously, there's always pressure when you won a tournament and have points to defend. So there's always pressure when you come back."

In the tie break, Larcher de Brito exhibited less nerve and more ambition than the 2008 Roland Garros champion.

"I just go in there because I have nothing to lose," Larcher de Brito said. "I'm a qualifier. I just came in here played my best and tried to enjoy myself. No pressure so I can just go for my shots."

Larcher de Brito wasn't the only qualifier who came up big at the Aegon Classic.

Qualifier Klara Koukalova crushed 16th-seeded Caroline Garcia , 6-3, 6-0. Koukalova will play top-seeded Simona Halep for a quarterfinal spot.

Wild card Jelena Jankovic defeated Casey Dellacqua , 7-6 (11), 6-3. The 15th-seeded Jankovic will face either fourth-seeded Angelique Kerber or former Wimbledon semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova for a place in the last eight.

American Christina McHale beat qualifier Misaki Doi , 6-3, 6-4.