Ana Ivanovic: A strong contender for the Qatar Ladies Open title – Tennis Special
Qatar Ladies Open tournament’s opening round lit up with the likes of former world number one, Ana Ivanovic, making her way onto the courts. With successful straight sets, 6-1, 4-1, win in the opening round encounter against
the 55thranked Spaniard, Carla Suarez Navarro, the Serb progresses into the next round.
Ivanovic was shorn of the complete match as her opponent retired in the second set due to a severe back problem. Navarro tried to continue after receiving a considerable treatment from her physio but wasn’t able to resume
the proceedings; she decided to accept the early exit from the clash. The Serb was already in commanding position and marshalling the ball at her will.
The Serbian tennis ace has broken into the Top-20 players of the tournament; ranked at number 19 at the moment. She is ecstatic to climb her way back and aims at breaking into the Top-10 ranks soon. Although,
she is far from her supreme form witnessed in the French Open 2008, she still thinks that her motivation and willpower will definitely help her cause.
In a post-match interview, she stated, “I think it's different in the sense that now a lot more girls can challenge top players from the early rounds. That's exciting for us, because we do want challenges. But I feel like
those girls that are on top at the moment, they're playing very aggressively, and that's the way you have to play in order to win. It's a big challenge for us to raise our level.”
Her outstanding performance in the opening round in Doha is the proof of her ability to be extremely devastating on her day. She started off with a successful serve and continued to pound her opponent down with some mesmerizing
shot making. She was all over the Spaniard; smashing her favourite forehand cross-court winners at her will.
The Spaniard couldn’t find shelter anywhere at the hard courts in Doha. She was tamed across the courts whilst her opponent was delighting the crowd with some eye-startling display. Three breakpoints in succession for the
Serb did the job in the opening set. Navarro was looking down and out with no clue about how to handle that onslaught from the Serb.
Nothing changed in the second set as well except the Spaniard injured herself to increase her misery. During the fourth game of the second set, Navarro was reaching for the cross-court return from Ivanovic when she stretched
at a miserable angle injuring her back. She decided to play through the pain but soon realized that it would only worsen her condition.
Ivanovic awaits the winner of the match between Petra Martic of Croatia and the Czech tennis ace, Petra Cetkovska, for the second round contest.
The Serb is looking extremely efficient with her footwork. She might have lost a bit of flare with her game style but has definitely enhanced the pace on her returns which is crucial to make an early impact in the match.
She just needs to introduce a bit of versatility in her game style to become an unassailable force in the world of women tennis.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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