SYDNEY, Jan 8: A gruelling off-season training regime in Australia paid off for Ana Ivanovic when she fought back from the brink of defeat to beat France’s Virginie Razzano 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 at the Sydney International on Tuesday.
The Serb looked to be heading for an early exit from the Australian Open warm-up event when she trailed 5-2 in the deciding set before reeling off five games to join Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik in the quarter-finals.
Ivanovic, ranked four in the world, said she had trained harder than ever over the summer and her confidence was soaring ahead of the first grand slam of the year.
“This match today gives me some confidence because I am coming into the new season looking for some tough matches and to get through them,” she told a news conference.
“There are many opponents and players who want exactly the same thing, but I think I have a game that can get me to win a grand slam.”
Ivanovic is on course for a semi-final meeting with Justine Henin after the world No 1 strolled into the quarters without hitting a ball when her opponent, Czech Lucie Safarova, withdrew with a lower back strain.
Russia’s US Open finalist, second-seed Svetlana Kusnetsova, also eased into the next round with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win over Israel’s Shahar Peer.
Third-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic showed no ill-effects from the leg injury that forced her to forfeit her singles match in last week’s Hopman Cup final as she dispatched France’s Tatiana Golovin 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.
While the women’s matches mostly went according to the rankings at Sydney’s Olympic tennis centre on Tuesday, there was an early upset in the men’s draw when Spanish second seed Tommy Robredo was beaten by Czech Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-2.
Carlos Moya kept the Spanish flag flying with his 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Austrian Stefan Koubek to stay on course for a possible semi-final with Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt, who is chasing a record fifth title in Sydney.
Hewitt beat Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 6-4 to set up a second round meeting with his Davis Cup team-mate Chris Guccione.
Tuesday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):
Men’s singles:
First round: 5-Carlos Moya (Spain) bt Stefan Koubek (Austria) 1-6, 6-4, 6-2; Ivo Minar (Czech Republic) bt Alun Jones (Australia) 6-2, 7-5; Steve Darcis (Belgium) bt Joseph Sirianni (Australia) 6-1, 7-6 (7-4); 6-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) bt Nicolas Mahut (France) 6-3, 6-4; Evgeny Korolev (Russia) bt 7-Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 6-1 – Mathieu retired; Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) bt 2-Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-4, 6-2; Chris Guccione (Australia) bt Alberto Martin (Spain) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4; Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) bt Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 6-3, 6-3; Andreas Seppi (Italy) bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Women’s singles:
Second round: 3-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) bt Tatiana Golovin (France) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3; 1-Justine Henin (Belgium) bt Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) – walkover; Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) bt 6-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 6-4, 6-2; Francesca Schiavone (Italy) bt 7-Marion Bartoli (France) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; 2-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) bt Shahar Peer (Israel) 6-3, 6-4; Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) bt Sybille Bammer (Austria) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2; 4-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) bt Virginie Razzano (France) 6-1, 2-6, 7-5; Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) bt Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
DOVIC WITHDRAWS
HOBART: Former world No 4 Jelena Dokic pulled out of the Hobart International with an ankle injury on Tuesday and is still to decide whether she will attempt to qualify for the Australian Open.
Dokic, who had beaten three players in the world’s top 100 in qualifying and the first round at Hobart, was down 5-0 to Italy’s Flavia Pennetta in their second-round match when she called for the trainer.
The 24-year-old, who received courtside treatment but was unable to continue, later said she had sustained the injury in qualifying on Sunday and played with it in her first round victory over Martina Mueller on Monday.
In other matches on Tuesday, Russian second seed Vera Zvonareva beat Romania’s Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-3, 6-2, while Eleni Daniilidou of Greece provided the upset of the day with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over top seed Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine.
Daniilidou will now meet Australian Casey Dellacqua, who made her first WTA quarter-final with a tough 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Russian Anna Lapushchenkova.
India’s sixth seed Sania Mirza, fresh from some impressive perfomances at the Hopman Cup in Perth, advanced to the quarter-finals with 6-3, 6-4 victory over Russia’s Alla Kudryavtseva.
Second-round results: Flavia Pennetta (Italy) bt Jelena Dokic (Australia) 5-0 – Dokic retired; 2-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) bt Raluca Olaru (Romania) 6-3, 6-2; Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) bt 1-Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) 6-3, 6-3; Ashley Harkleroad (US) bt Meilen Tu (US) 7-6 (11-9), 2-6, 6-1; Edina Gallovits (Romania) bt Olga Govortsova (Belarus) 6-3, 6-2; Casey Dell’Acqua (Australia) bt Anna Lapushchenkova (Russia) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; Elena Vesnina (Russia) bt Nuria Llagostera (Spain) 6-3, 6-2; 6-Sania Mirza (India) bt Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) 6-3, 6-4.—Reuters
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.