TENNIS: Maria Sharapova once described her movement on clay as like "a cow on ice", and after her victory in the Australian Open, one that was never in doubt, the French Open now remains the one grand slam she has not won.

"It's one of the biggest challenges to win it but as you all know I love a challenge," she said after defeating Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 7-5, 6-3. "It's what drives me. I'm getting better and feeling stronger. I'm holding my ground on the clay, my body is developing, and I think I have a great chance."

Her record at Roland Garros is far from bad, with two quarter-finals and her first semi-final last year, although in that instance she was comfortably defeated 6-2, 6-1 by Ivanovic who went on to reach her first slam final, and mark down her name as an up-and-coming star of the women's game. She took another large step forward here, but as yet lacks the confidence and, more particularly, the experience to secure a major title. Too many things went wrong when she played Justine Henin in the French Open final last year, and the same applied to Saturday's match against Sharapova, though not quite so catastrophically.

Ivanovic is the new world number two behind Henin although there is no doubt that Sharapova, currently ranked five after her injury-plagued season last year, will soon be looking to split them, and perhaps regain the number one position she last held in March 2007. It had always seemed, since she won the Wimbledon title as a 17-year-old in 2004, that Sharapova would dominate the women's game yet women's tennis has remained unpredictable, mainly because of the long periods all the top players have missed through injury.

Sharapova sees it as a question of her body maturing, referring to herself as a "piece of spaghetti" when she won the Wimbledon title. "I've watched the tapes many times because I'm still intrigued as to how I beat Serena Williams. I didn't even seem nervous. I took it to her basically and that's what amazed me the most."

That is what convinced everyone that here was a young woman destined to win a multiplicity of slams, but it was another two years before Sharapova took the US Open title. The Australian Open, her third slam, has arrived a little more quickly, a success bolstered by the fact that she now feels altogether stronger physically.

"If I take care of my business I can beat anyone. I have that confidence. This was one of the toughest draws I have had, and I'm more pleased that I now know realistically it's possible to keep a high level and play amazing tennis through seven matches and to believe in myself. I knew I played Justine at a very high level and that that intensity was bound to drop in the next match and it was important to be conscious of that and to handle it," Sharapova explained.

She is not always an easy personality with whom to empathise, though she made a touching post-final speech, underlying her closeness with her longtime hitting partner, Michael Joyce, and her often controversial father.

"I need to feel they are close and I can trust and believe and they will help, whatever it is. They keep me on my feet. I think that by winning here I've proved I can come back from having setbacks, negative thoughts and doubts."

Ana Ivanovic has now to prove that she can do something similar. "I already feel much better in today's final than I felt in the French Open final," she said afterwards.

"It hurts a bit now, but I'm sure I can learn from it. Obviously, I was emotional out there and I was really disappointed I couldn't take the chances I had. But I'm still young and I still think I have a lot of grand slam finals in front of me."

Her rivalry with Sharapova is one that may evolve into something quite special.