Ana Ivanovic topples Johanna Larsson to reach the third round – BNP Paribas Open 2012
Former world number one, Ana Ivanovic, stomped over the Swedish tennis ace, Johanna Larsson, with a breadstick at the BNP Paribas Open 2012 on Saturday. She winded up a 6-1, 6-2 success over the world number 67 to advance into the round of 32 at this hard
court tournament which is part of the 2012 WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Tour.
The Swiss resident, Ivanovic flashed her old self at this WTA Premier Mandatory event and crippled Larsson in straight sets in their third encounter. She not only avenged her loss at the French Open last year but also took lead in the head-to-head series
by 2-1 against the Swede.
Ivanovic stormed into the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and after breaking the Swede’s entire serve, she pocketed the opener with an assuring 6-1 victory. She lost her serve once but converted three out of eight break opportunities to her advantage.
Currently ranked 16th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Ivanovic kept her rhythm in the following set and slid entire serves after blocking the only breakpoint she faced. On the other hand, the Serb sought 10 break chances and availed two of them to
pull out the set by winning six games to two.
Next in line for Ivanovic is the unseeded Kazakh, Ksenia Pervak, who stunned the 17th seed, Shuai Peng, with a bagel to set-up this meeting.
Another former world number one, Maria Sharapova, also earned the glory in a night match. The Russian slaughtered Gisela Dulko of Argentina with a bagel to secure this spot.
"Gisela is always tricky - we've played a few times before, and she's beaten me at a major before," the blooming Russian commented in a courtside interview. "She's someone who, when you give her a lot of time, she creates good angles, has really good hands,
and can become quite dangerous. As a first round opponent, I had to be ready from the start. I haven't played a tournament in a few weeks. I was eager to get out there."
The world number two lost her serve once but cashed in six out of 11 break chances to formulate a 6-2, 6-0 score line in 66 minutes. As a result, she improved to a 4-1 head-to-head record against the Argentinean veteran.
Sharapova will square off against the Romanian number one, Simona Halep, who upset the 28th seeded Czech, Petra Cetkovska, in straight sets. The 20-year-old broke Cetkovska’s serve six times to seal the deal with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
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