It’s strange to see a (1) next to Ana Ivanovic’s name—the Serb has been outside the Top 10 since June 2009, at one point falling to No. 63. Yet her nadir may have actually occurred during her halcyon days, when she was world No. 1. As the top seed at the 2008 U.S. Open, Ivanovic lost her second-round match to 188th-ranked qualifier Julie Coin. If I had a nickel for every “Coin flips” headline written that day…
But Ivanovic has been nothing if not consistent throughout the past two-and-a-half years: She’s been ranked inside the Top 20 since February 2012. Currently No. 13 and positioned atop the bracket in Birmingham, she acted like a top seed should today, winning her opener with ease, 6-4, 6-1. The win came over Mona Barthel—“a tripwire opponent in the past,” according to the AP. Probably not the adjective I’d use to describe the German, but the point was made: Ivanovic was 1-2 against Barthel, including a 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 loss last year at Indian Wells.
For may reasons, this was an important win for Ivanovic, who made a disappointing third-round exit at Roland Garros. In the past, she’s made hay on clay and been allergic to grass—Ivanovic has reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon just once. She’d like to correct that this year.
“I really hope I manage to turn that around,” she said after her win today. “On grass courts it's a lot about mentality and also the gameplan, because everything happens so fast. It's the first time I am working with my coach (Nemanja Kontic) on grass, so hopefully he can bring some innovations that will help me make that change.”
Ivanovic’s win over Serena Williams at the Australian Open showed that she remains relevant when it comes to the game’s elite. We’ve seen such scintillating performances from her sporadically over the past few years, even if serving struggles and bouts of shaken confidence periodically resurface. Still, at times Ivanovic’s game is explosively beautiful, and a blueprint for success on the ground. But her resolve has been even more impressive—she clearly loves the sport, and the competition. Just like a top seed should.
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Ivanovic’s next opponent on turf will be Lauren Davis, who beat fellow American Victoria Duval, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2. Duval, you’ll recall, stunned Sam Stosur last year at the U.S. Open. I hadn’t heard much from the 18-year-old since then, but on Monday she upset the rapidly ascending Caroline Garcia in straights, 6-2, 6-4. It was only Duval’s second WTA-level win of the season.
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