Serbians steal the show; Djokovic and Ivanovic cruises at Australian Open 2013 – Tennis News
Seeded top in the men’s event Novak Djokovic and the gorgeous Serbian Ana Ivanovic displayed exceptional skills to record straight set victories at the Australian Open 2013, first of the four Grand Slam events taking place in Melbourne, Australia.
The Serbian number one showed flawless performance in his ninth battle against the 31st seeded Radek Stepanek. After pocketing this match with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 score line, the Serb not only improved to an 8-1 record in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series against Stepanek but also booked a place in the fourth round at the Melbourne Park.
Ranked number one in the South African Airways ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour Rankings, Djokovic stated in a courtside interview after breezing past his rival:
“I wasn't expecting an easy match coming into the third round and playing a seeded player. He loves the big stage. You saw how much fun he had. I also had a lot of fun playing. It was a very entertaining match.”
Djokovic high-spiritedly entered the Rod Laver Arena. With exquisite shots from his arsenal of skills, the Serb swiped his entire serves with poise. He drew the first blood in the last game and clicked the opener with a 6-4 win.
The Serbian star kept momentum rolling in the proceeding set and with a single break of serve, clinched the set with a 6-3 score line.
In the third set, Djokovic faced hindrances but kept calm, eventually breaking his rival’s serve once and sealing the set by winning seven games to five.
The 25-year-old will square off against the 15th seed, Stanislas Wawrinka from Switzerland.
Ivanovic on the other hand recorded a straight set victory against her compatriot, Jelena Jankovic, in their 12th encounter. She notched up a 7-5, 6-3 victory against the 22nd seed and progresses at this major hard court tournament.
Ranked 13th in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings, Ivanovic was quoted after clicking the match:
"It was intense from the first to the last moment, but I stayed in the zone and played each point. That was my goal today. I'm very pleased I managed to do that and do it well… I think she's still a very good player and it's always tough playing against her in any tournament.”
Next in queue for Ivanovic is the world number four, Agnieszka Radwanska from Poland.
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