Ana Ivanovic ousts Tsvetana Pironkova in the fourth round – US Open 2012
Former French Open title bearer, Ana Ivanovic battled past Tsvetana Pironkova in the fourth round of the Grand Slams held on the hard courts of the Flushing Meadows Park in New York, United States. The Serbian contender gave a straight sets defeat, 6-0, 6-4 on Monday.
Ivanovic told the media, “In the first set I didn't do much wrong. I felt like everything was going my way. In the second set she started a little more aggressive and was missing a little less - and I did have a few more errors off my forehand side. That's what probably made the difference between the first and second sets. I have been in the fourth round here quite a few times, so to make that step and reach a quarterfinal, as well as first time since '08, I'm very thrilled. It has been a roller coaster the last four years.”
The opening set commenced with the Serbian’s serve, who displayed an excellent game plan. She broke her rival’s serve three times in the entire set. On the other hand, Pironkova was defenceless in front of her opponent, as she was unable to snatch even a single game. The Serbian effortlessly glided forward and marked her 6-0 score line to take the driving seat.
However, the subsequent set proved to be slightly challenging for the 24-year-old Bulgarian. She broke her opponent’s serves three times, to equalize the scores twice. Pironkova had a comparatively better first serve accuracy of 56 percent but only got the chance to secure six of 14 points. Nonetheless, she wrapped three of seven break points presented to her. The former world number one attained a 51 percent first serve precision, converting 11 of 18 points comfortably. She also managed to convert all the four break points offered to her in the closing set, marking her 6-4 win.
The 12th seeded Serbian combated against the 55th ranked Bulgarian for the second time. This time around, Ivanovic successfully avenged her loss at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia held in Rome. Previously, the unseeded Pironkova surprised the Serbian by giving her an upset, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the second round.
Ivanovic will contest against the Olympic gold medallist, Serena Williams, in the quarter-final round. The local challenger considers that she is in excellent run of form and will surely bag the victory at her home ground.
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