2011 BMW Malaysian Open quarterfinals: Bojana Jovanovski vs. Jelena Dokic - Preview
Eighth seed Bojana Jovanovski ousted wild card Urszula Radwanska in a fast-paced match one day ago, defeating her Polish opponent from a set down to maintain a scoreline of 1-6, 7-5, 6-4. The player hails from Serbia and is just 19 years old, making her
the second-youngest player in the Women’s Tennis Association [WTA] as World Number 55.
The player explained her surprisingly bad performance in the first set, saying, “It was so hot today, and I didn't have too much time to prepare for these conditions. I came from Doha, where it wasn't nearly as hot and I played a long match today. So I'm
very glad I won.”
Her victory in the second round match has helped her to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Australian tennis player Jelena Dokic. The unseeded player has been setting the Malaysian courts on fire, defeating Top 10 player and 2010 French Open champion Francesca
Schiavone in the first round. She followed this up with a tough three-sets match against Japanese pro Kurumi Nara, ultimately defeating her opponent 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-2. Nara almost won the match at 6-6, when Dokic took over the match and defeated her.
Dokic commented on her performance as well, saying, “I’d never played her before. I didn’t know what to expect and how to play her. She was really getting everything back. She didn’t make one mistake until the third set. I knew if I won the second set I
would have a chance in the third. I really fought to the end in that second set and it paid off.”
Now, Bojana Jovanovski and Jelena Dokic will meet each other at Malaysia for the first time tomorrow. Dokic has the advantage of having five titles already under her belt, and the Australian pro seems to be on the path to a comeback. However, she had considerable
trouble fighting against Kurumi Nara in the second round. The player must be bolstered by her victory over Schiavone, and may pull through the next match on this confidence.
Jovanovski has not yet won any titles, and this match will be her second quarterfinal as a WTA Tour professional player. She managed to defeat tennis pro Flavia Pennetta in the Sydney tournament in January, making it to the semi-final of the event for a
personal best.
She also has the advantage of a higher ranking, being almost forty spots above her opponent. She says, “I will try to be recovered and ready for that match. I will try to serve better to get some easy points. Jelena is a good player. It will be an interesting
match for sure.”
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