News Archive

   NEWS of  US Open

 30.08.2006         

         Ana is through to the second round of the US Open after a tight 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Vera Dushevina.
    “It definitely wasn’t my best tennis,” said Ana. “I was a little bit nervous because it was the first round of a Grand Slam. I knew it would be a tough match because she has beaten me two times before and I’m just pleased to be in the second round.”
    Despite her nerves, Ana made a brilliant start. She broke the Russian in her opening two service games and moved into a 3-0 lead as she dominated off both wings. It wasn’t until Dushevina’s fourth service game that she held for the first time and Ana took the first set in 32 minutes, hitting 17 winners along the way.
    The next six games went with serve as Dushevina’s level improved. She played a number of deep backhands with heavy topspin that kept Ana on the baseline and made it difficult for the No.16 seed to attack. The Russian broke in the seventh game and, though Ana broke back, a further break in game 11 enabled the 19-year-old to clinch the set.
    The third set followed a similar patter as the first nine games went with serve. Then, as Dushevina served to stay in the match at 4-5, a forehand winner by Ana and a double fault helped the 18-year-old earn two match points.
    Having missed several volleys earlier, Ana saved her best for last and clinched victory with a stretched drop volley on her second match point. “At least the last one was good!” she joked.
    At times Ana was a little passive. She had bossed the opening games by asserting her authority over Dushevina, but when she took her foot off the gas the Russian looked dangerous. “I probably wasn’t aggressive enough,” admitted Ana. “That’s something I will work on for my next match.”
    Looking at the positives in her performance, Ana described her start as “quite good.” She added: “Even though I wasn’t so successful with my volleys, I’m pleased that I was coming to the net because that’s going to be an important part of my game in the future.”
   Ana will play Japan’s Aiko Nakamura in round two.

 From    www.anaivanovic.com   

   NEWS of US Open

31.08.2006         From Ana`s diary

    I played my first round match today. It definitely wasn’t my best tennis but I am pleased to go through to the next round. I’m always a little bit nervous before first round matches and today was no different. I think something would be wrong if you weren’t a little bit nervous for the first round of a Grand Slam, because it means so much to a player.
    I arrived at the club at 8am. The US Open is the tournament where we stay furthest from the venue. It can take around 45 minutes to get from the hotel in Manhattan to the site, which is in Queen’s. So I had to get up quite early today – 6.15am. I must admit, I do like to sleep a little bit, so I prefer not to play early! But of course being a professional is about dealing with these situations.
    Since working with my new team I have actually been getting up earlier anyway to do some fitness work. I often see players running around the city in the evenings, but personally I prefer to use the gym in the hotel for fitness work and I do it in the mornings.
    I had practice scheduled for 9am but it was raining, so I just did some stretching in the players’ lounge. I didn't think the match would begin on time because of the wet weather, but after the rain stopped they dried the court very quickly, and it started only a few minutes late.
    I started the match well but then I stopped being so aggressive and it became very close. I knew it would be tough, because Dushevina has beaten me twice in the past.
    Even though I am maybe a bit of a perfectionist on the court, I have learnt that I am not going to play my best tennis every day. It’s important that I was able to win when not playing so well, and it motivates me even more to train hard and prepare properly for my next match, which is against Nakamura tomorrow.
   I will write to you again after!

    Love      Ana
  www.anaivanovic.com   

   NEWS of  US Open

  31.08.2006         

         Ana moved into the third round of the US Open with a business-like 7-5, 6-3 victory over Japan’s Aiko Nakamura. The world No.76 played above her level for much of the match but Ana’s class came through.
    “She played some really good tennis,” said Ana. “I didn’t start very well, there were too many mistakes. But I started to play better, a bit more aggressive and in the end I'm pleased to win in two sets."
    Nakamura, displaying great consistency and movement, scored the first break of the as Ana’s ground game failed to ignite. In a match played under floodlights, the Japanese woman frustrated Ana by keeping a good length on her shots and retrieving all but Ana’s most brutal forehands.
   Nakamura built a 5-2 first set lead before Ana cut out some of the unforced errors. She broke back in the ninth game thanks largely to a stunning cross-court backhand, making her first cry of “ajde” as she did so. “It was important that I got that break,” said Ana. “My game began to improve then and I felt more confident. I’m really happy I could make this comeback.”
    A hold to love, followed by another break of serve enabled Ana to serve for the set. She confidently closed it out after 44 minutes.
   Ana, who wore her black adidas top and white skirt, scored the decisive break of the second set in the fifth game. She added a further break as Nakamura served to stay in the match and sealed victory with a forehand service return down-the-line winner.

Match Statistics

    The 18-year-old, who hit 34 winners and 32 unforced errors during the 80-minute match, will play two-time former champion Serena in the third round.

 From    www.anaivanovic.com   

   NEWS of  US Open

 01.09.2006

    Ana's US Open first round doubles match alongside Maria Kirilenko was suspended overnight with the teenagers leading Yulia Beygelzimer and Vera Dushevina 5-4 on serve.
    The Ukrainian-Russian pairing scored first blood and led 2-0, before Ana and Maria hit back. The resumption of the match has yet to be scheduled.
    Ana's third round singles match against Serena Williams is scheduled to begin at 7pm local time on Saturday (1am Central European Time) on Arthur Ashe stadium. However, the forecast is for heavy rain and there is a prevailing sentiment at the USTA Billie-Jean King National Tennis Center that Saturday could be a complete wash-out.

   NEWS of  US Open

 03.09.2006

    Ana's US Open came to an end with a disappointing 6-2, 6-4 third round loss to Serena Williams. It was a sub-par performance from the US Open Series champion, but Williams must be given credit for the manner in which she grabbed the initiative in most rallies and imposed her game on the 18-year-old.
    The former world No.1 was excellent. She showed no signs of the rustiness one would expect from a player who has competed in just four tournaments this year as pressured Ana from the very first game.
    Ana struggled to cope with the 24-year-old’s pace of play and took some time to settle. The first set lasted just 24 minutes and was devoid of any lengthy rallies.
    The seven-time Grand Slam champion continued to attack Ana’s serve – the youngster made five doubles faults and no aces – in the second set and threatened to grab an early break. Ana resisted until the fifth game when Williams produced several punishing returns of serve.
    However, Ana scored her first break of the match in the following game as she crushed a huge inside-out forehand winner. The youngster was finally into the match and at 40-15 in the following game the outlook had changed. Unfortunately for Ana, it was then that she chose to play one of her worst shots of the match, a limp attempted dropshot that failed to get over the net.
    Williams, great champion as she is, seized on the opportunity and broke again. Serve matched serve thereafter and the American, who produced the fastest delivery of the tournament with a 124mph ace, closed out the match after 66 frantic minutes.
    Ana looked a different player during her doubles match with Maria Kirilenko, which took place within an hour of her singles defeat. Resuming their rain-delayed first round match, the teenagers beat Yulia Beygelzimer and Vera Dushevina 6-4, 6-2.
    Ana and Maria will play fifth seeds Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Meghann Shaughnessy in the second round tomorrow.   

Match Statistics               From Ana`s diary

    Today was my first time playing on the Arthur Ashe court and it felt a little bit strange. It’s smaller than it looks on television. There were also many empty seats, which affected the atmosphere. I do like the noisiness of tennis in America, for example the music they play at the change of ends.
    Serena played really well. I give her all the credit. You don’t realise just how fast she plays until you are on the court with her. I wasn’t very happy about my own game, but I am still very young and have a lot to improve.
    I see my career almost like a map. There are many places I will have to go through to get to where I want to go, and a lot of things I will have to experience to become a better player. So I don’t really get too upset about losses. As long as I can learn from every defeat, that is the most important thing.
     Doubles is also a good way to get over a singles defeat and I was back on court around 45 minutes after I had lost to Serena. Maria and I played very well. Resuming a match after a rain delay is never easy but I was surprised by how straightforward things went. Our games really clicked together and we even tried a few new things, which can help us in future matches.

 From    www.anaivanovic.com   

   NEWS of  US Open

 04.09.2006

    Ana and Maria Kirilenko scored one of their best doubles victories yet when they defeated fifth seeds Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Meghann Shaughnessy 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 to reach the third round of the US Open.
     The teenagers played an excellent first set, taking the game to their higher ranked opponents as they volleyed sharply. The match featured several entertaining rallies – a smiling Ana found herself on the ground after one sharp net exchange – and the youngsters appeared to enjoy it thoroughly.
    The German-American pairing wrestled away the momentum by taking the second set tiebreak 7-5 then moving 3-0 ahead in the decider as Maria struggled with her ground game. However, the Russian regained her composure and the youngsters fought back, eventually sealing the win on their third match point when Groenefeld double-faulted.
    A generous crowd on Court 4 cheered for the teenagers throughout. Their reward for a most impressive victory is a clash with No.10 seeds Martina Navratilova and Nadia Petrova in round three.

 From    www.anaivanovic.com   

   NEWS of  US Open

 06.09.2006

    Ana and Maria Kirilenko were edged out 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 by tenth seeds Martina Navratilova and Nadia Petrova in the third round of the US Open doubles competition.
    Ana was not at her best in a tight match, but Maria played some great stuff during the two hours and 19 minutes encounter. The 19-year-old Russian found a number of wicked angles as her ground game clicked into gear.
     In the end, however, the elder pairing’s experience came through. They expertly grabbed control of the net and were solid when facing break points.
     The American-Russian team scored the first break of the match to lead 3-2 and another break helped them clinch the first set 6-3.
     Two superb passing shots by Maria enabled the youngsters to break in the opening game of the second set. They broke again and built a 5-2 lead and, though they were twice broken back, they raced through the tiebreak 7-1.
    The final set could have gone either way but an ill-timed double fault by Ana in the fifth game gave the tenth seeds the edge. They eventually held to love to seal a place in the quarter-finals and a continuation of Navratilova’s career – the 49-year-old winner of 344 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour titles will retire after this tournament.
 From    www.anaivanovic.com   

     Match statistics     Ana`s blog from US Open