Ana Ivanovic and Marion Bartoli are just hours away from what promises to be an exciting quarter-final clash in the BNP Paribas Open

Ana Ivanovic has made superb progress so far in Indian Wells, and finds herself in the quarter-finals following a 6-4, 6-2 victory over sixth seed and reigning champion Jelena Jankovic. Ivanovic is yet to drop a set here, and is beginning to look like a serious contender for the title. She will now face Marion Bartoli, the No. 15 seed, in just a few hours time.

Bartoli survived a challenging match against second seed Kim Clijsters in the last round, as the Belgian retired in the second set. Bartoli is seeded ahead of the Ivanovic for this week’s tournament, but current form suggests that she’ll have to be on top form to deny the Serb here.

Ivanovic currently holds a 4-2 head to head record against Bartoli, though Bartoli won two of the three meetings between the pairing in 2010. There doesn’t appear to be much to choose between these two players, and we could be about to witness a thrilling match today.