Ivanovic Rolls In Third Round Against Dushevina
By Ed McGrogan
Friday, August 31, 2007
Serbian sensation Ana Ivanovic continued her assault on this year’s Grand Slams by defeating Vera Dushevina 6-1, 6-3 at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The win marks the sixteenth time Ivanovic has won at a Slam this year, and although she hasn’t lifted the winner’s hardware yet, she’s becoming a favorite to do so at Flushing Meadows.
In the first set, Ivanovic overwhelmed her opponent, breaking Dushevina three times while holding her own serve with ease. Any chances of Dushevina pulling off a colossal upset were quelled early on in this match, as Ivanovic took all of the energy out of her Russian adversary. Dushevina could have used the crowd support – it may have been her only hope to get back into the match – but they were likewise drained of energy. The Armstrong fans had just sat through the Novak Djokovic-Radek Stepanek five-set thriller only minutes earlier, so no matter what match was on court next, it was destined to be a letdown.
Ivanovic broke Dushevina only once in the second set, but it was more than enough in the end. Coupled with an offensive game that Dushevina was powerless to stop, Ivanovic had no trouble in this third-round match. Ivanovic’s 28 winners came from a variety of shots; Dushevina, who had only eight by comparison, simply couldn’t keep up with Ivanovic.
In just over an hour, Ivanovic took care of business, beating Dushevina for the fourth consecutive time and for the second straight US Open (Ivanovic won 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in the first round last year). “Definitely, I’m happy with the result today. It’s always nice to get through like this. I played some good tennis,” Ivanovic said at her post-match press conference.
In the fourth round, Ivanovic will play the winner of tonight’s Venus Williams-Alona Bondarenko match. Asked about the prospect of playing Williams, who recently beat Ivanovic at the Wimbledon semifinals, Ivanovic said she looked forward to the possible challenge. “I’m looking forward to that match because I think I’m in good shape. I feel good on the court. It will be exciting to play against her,” Ivanovic said.
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