BALI, Indonesia (AP)—Defending champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia set up a semifinal against Nadia Petrova of Russia after winning her opening match at the Tournament of Champions on Thursday.
Ivanovic beat fourth-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-3, 6-3. Earlier, Petrova knocked out second-seeded Peng Shuai of China 6-4, 6-3.
Both winning players needed treatment as they embarked on the last tournament on the WTA calendar. Ivanovic had a foot problem, while Petrova’s neck was hurting.
“It was a bit sore, but actually when I was moving it was feeling better,” Ivanovic said. “Every time I would sit and then stand up from the bench, that’s when it was the sorest.”
Ivanovic made a fast start, jumping out to a 4-0 lead, and though Vinci managed to get back to 4-2, the Serbian put away the first set with a powerful forehand.
The former French Open champion broke three times in the second set to claim victory in 1 hour, 10 minutes.
Ivanovic was given one of two wild cards for the tournament, which also features the six highest-ranked players who have won a title during the season but did not qualify for the WTA Championships.
Peng was given the other but fell in the opening round to Petrova, who lost her serve four times in the match but managed to break seven times.
The 25-year-old Peng had won both her previous matches against Petrova this year in three sets.
“Today it was very important for me to win that first set,” said Petrova, who had medical attention during the first set. “I had a little bit of difficulty with the serve, especially in the first set.
“There was something going on with my upper back or neck, I don’t know. The adrenaline kicked in and I started not to think about it much. I started to focus more on the game.”
Top-seeded Marion Bartoli of France plays her opening match against Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain on Friday.