Ekaterina Ivanova flabbergasts Jelena Jankovic
in first round – Kremlin Cup 2011
Russian underdog Ekaterina Ivanova flabbergasted fifth seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic by surviving a mid match slip in the main draw of the Kremlin Cup 2011. The two had taken up swords on indoor hard courts of the Olympic Stadium
in Moscow, Russia. After one hour and fifty five minutes world number 175 Ivanova scored 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 over the world number 13 Jankovic on Tuesday the 18th of October 2011.
Commencing the first round of the match was Ivanova and she successfully held her serve to initiate the scoreboard at 1-0. Following in her footsteps was the fifth seed Jankovic, who too held her serve and placed herself beside
her adversary at 1-1 on the scoreboard. In the two subsequent games, the players broke each other back-to-back and the score tied at 2-2.
However, in the fifth game Ivanova held serve and as she capitalized on a break, she took the lead on the scoreboard at 4-2. In the following two games the players once more held serve and the score had shifted to 5-3. However,
in the next two games the players broke each other for the last time as Ivanova had clogged the opening set with a 6-4.
After taking a beating Jankovic pulled up her socks and serving for the second set was once more Ivanova and this time she got off to a bad start as she double faulted on her first serve. Jankovic capitalized on the early break
and by holding her serve took a mini lead on the scoreboard at 2-0. She repeated the feat and further increased the lead to a 4-0. Jankovic powered through the remaining set, as the two players once more won on respective games in the last three games of the
set. Fifth seeded Serbian managed to clog the second set with a breadstick victory and by the end of the first two sets each player had bagged a set apiece.
The third set was initiated by Jankovic and this time she got off to a bad start as she had endorsed a game to her adversary. On the contrary, Ivanova was not going to give up without a fight and the score had tied at 1-1 by the
end of the first two games. In the next two games, each player held her respective service game and the score tied at 2-2 and then 3-3 as they repeated the feat.
By the end of the eighth game the score had balanced out at 4-4 as they matched a blow for a blow. It was in the second last game that Jankovic’s forehand shot wayward and she erred endorsing a game to her adversary. As Ivanova
served for the match, she smashed an amazing backhand shot down the T and secured her victory of the set and the match.
Next up for Ivanova is either wildcard entrant Alla Kudryavtseva or Elena Vesnina in the second round of the event.
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