News Archive

   NEWS of  Generali Ladies Linz

 23.10.2006

    Ana has been drawn to face world No.35 Michaella Krajicek in the first round of the Generali Ladies Linz presented by Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberosterreich. Ana is seeed fifth for the Austrian Tier II event, which begins on Monday.
     Provided she can beat the 17-year-old Dutchwoman, whom she has never before played, Ana will face either Anna-Lena Groenefeld or a qualifier in the second round. It is a tough draw for the 18-year-old, who is competing for the first time since hurting her shoulder during practice a three weeks ago.
     Ana could meet top seed Maria Sharapova in the quarter-finals, while Patty Schnyder and Francesca Schiavone are potential semi-final opponents.
    The leading seeds in the bottom half of the draw, all of whom Ana could play in the final, are Nadia Petrova, Nicole Vaidisova, Jelena Jankovic and AnnaChakvetadze.
    Ana was a semi-finalist in Linz last year.

From     www.anaivanovic.com

   NEWS of  Generali Ladies Linz

25.10.2006

    Ana made a positive return to action by beating world No.35 Michaella Krajicek 6-1, 7-6 in the first round of the Generali Ladies Linz. Despite being absent from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour for the past month because of a shoulder injury, Ana dominated her Dutch opponent for much of the match, sealing victory in 84 minutes.
    Ana underlined her intentions in the opening game by breaking Krajicek to love. She added two further breaks during a breakneck-speed first set in which she won twice as many points (30 to 15) as the 17-year-old.
A break at the beginning of the second set continued Ana’s momentum as she led by a set and 2-0. However, Krajicek broke back and the match became much more competitive. Ana had two match points on the Dutchwoman’s serve at 5-4, 15-40 but she couldn’t convert either and was herself broken in the next game. Krajicek then spurned three set points as Ana broke again to take the set into a tiebreak.
   The 18-year-old stormed through the tiebreak, winning it 7-2. Though it was a nervy end to the second set, Ana was always ahead in the match.

Match statistics

   She will face another 17-year-old, Agnieszka Radwanksa of Poland, in the second round on Thursday. Despite a ranking of 66, Radwanska is a difficult opponent. She saw off world No.20 Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-4, 7-5 in the first round here and has beaten Elena Dementieva, Anastasia Myskina and Venus Williams this year.
From     www.anaivanovic.com

   NEWS of  Generali Ladies Linz

  26.10.2006

    Ana produced a thoroughly commanding performance to dismiss Polish world No.66 Agnieszka Radwanska. The 18-year-old hit 27 winners and five aces as she secured an emphatic 6-2, 6-2 victory in just 62 minutes.
    Ana faced some early pressure from her 17-year-old opponent, who scored impressive wins over Elena Dementieva and Venus Williams last month. She saved three break points in the second game before gaining the ascendancy and racing through the opening set.
    The world No.15 broke to love at the beginning of the second set and, though she was broken back, continued her dominance. A forehand service return winner sealed another break for 5-2 and Ana served it out, clinching victory on her third match point when Radwanska hit a backhand long. 

   From     www.anaivanovic.com

Match statistics

   Ana will face with top seeded Maria Sharapova (3d number in WTA ranking) in the quarter-finals on Friday.

   NEWS of  Generali Ladies Linz

27.10.2006

    World No.3 Maria Sharapova won a hard-fought quarter-final 7-6, 7-5 against Ana in the quarter-finals of the Generali Ladies Linz.

It was a tight contest, as the scoreline illustrates, though the statistics – more unforced errors than winners for the 18-year-old – show that Ana was not close to her optimum level.

The fifth seed held serve to 30 in the opening game and saved three break points in the third. Serve was matched until the fifth game, when Sharapova broke to love. Rallies were decided by which player could strike the first blow, with Ana often on the defensive.

The opening set did not see a wealth of lengthy rallies, though Ana hit several rasping winners. Sharapova served for the opener at 5-4 but Ana saved three set points and a sensational inside-out forehand enabled her to break back.

Ana then fought off three break points in the following game and hit a thunderous backhand winner which helped her get to 6-5. A tiebreak ensued, which Sharapova grabbed control of immediately, as she hit a backhand return winner to score a mini-break.

Sharapova, who so often appears to receive coaching from the stands, made use of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s on-court coaching trial during this tournament by calling for her hitting partner Michael Joyce to give her tuition before the beginning of the second set.

Whatever was said, it helped as Sharapova dominated the early stages of the second set. Serving formidably, she surged into a 3-0 lead. There were no opportunities for Ana to break until the Russian served for the match. Two double faults by the top seed helped Ana break back and keep the tie alive. She then held to love, sealing the game with an ace, to level at 5-5. It was very much a repeat of the opening set.

The 19-year-old held serve then piled the pressure on Ana with some deep service returns as the world No.15 served to stay in the match. Sharapova carved out two match points and sealed victory after a lengthy rally in which Ana netted a backhand.

Sharapova’s experience had proved decisive. She punched the air in delight in recognition of a tight duel. It was a highly anticipated match between two of the sport’s brightest young stars and it proved to be a fascinating encounter. Sharapova was always ahead as Ana struggled to hit top form. Ana’s time will come.

By Gavin Versi      www.anaivanovic.com

Match statistics