Andrew Wu at Melbourne Park
Ana Ivanovic will enter Saturday's Australian Open final against Maria Sharapova convinced she has the gumption to win from any position.
The Serbian star's self-belief soared to new levels on Thursday when she lifted herself from the canvas to floor Slovak No.9 seed Daniela Hantuchova 0-6 6-3 6-4 in a tense semi-final.
Ivanovic managed to win just nine points during the opening set when Hantuchova delivered what must have seemed an endless torrent of winners.
But the 20-year-old Serb, the new darling of the Melbourne crowd, kept reminding herself that Hantuchova, who had never advanced beyond the quarter-final of a Grand Slam at 28 previous attempts, could not maintain such a high standard of play.
"I think she didn't miss a ball and she was making almost all first serves," said Ivanovic after making her second Grand Slam final.
"I knew I would get a chance at some point and that helped me a lot."
Not for the first time in the tournament, Ivanovic's improved fitness, a result of endless hours of hard work with her Australian strength and conditioning coach Scott Byrnes, proved valuable.
Since teaming with Byrnes in July 2006, Ivanovic has recorded personal bests at each of the four Grand Slams, including an appearance in last year's final at Roland Garros.
Her ability to scramble from one end of the court to the other enabled her to force the error from Hantuchova which delivered the match's decisive break in the final set.
"That's something that gives you so much confidence," she said.
"At 3-2 (in the third set) we had a long game and I managed to win that game. And I knew she was probably mentally a little bit down, wasn't happy with herself that she didn't use opportunities."
"I had to step up and do something different. I managed to break her and I think it was a huge moment."
Now the new world No.2, Ivanovic firmly believes she belongs in the upper echelon of the women's game.
"And that's the biggest difference in my game," she said. "When I'm out on the court I just believe I can beat anyone and that's, I think, a big step for me."
While Sharapova will have the edge in freshness after crushing Jelena Jankovic in her semi-final earlier in the day, Ivanovic said the experience of winning such an important match in the manner she did was priceless.
"And managing to fight through the match and win it like this, it's something that's definitely very positive," she said.
"And on the other hand, I feel really fit. As I said, it's just important to have no injuries. So I just want to stay that way and take my chances on Saturday."
Sharapova, a two-time Grand Slam champion, said her experience in major finals would be important this weekend.
"When you have experience behind your back it's a huge advantage," said Sharapova, who was embarrassed in last year's Australian Open final by Serena Williams.
"Even though I had a tough year last year, you still learn and gain so much from bad experiences as well. I've been in numerous semi-final Grand Slams and a few finals."
"Even if I'm playing someone that's 26 years-old or 27 that has much more experience behind their back, you hope that the experience that you have and the thrill to be out there will help you get through."