When Ana Ivanovic cruised past No. 21 seed Jie Zheng 6-3, 6-0 on Wednesday, it marked the first time since last year’s Wimbledon that the former world No. 1 reached the third round of a Grand Slam.
Decked out in a hot pink Adidas dress and her signature visor, Ivanovic looked comfortable on the court against a player who had beaten her twice before, and there was no sign of the ankle injury that caused her to withdraw from her semifinal match against Kim Clijsters in Cincinnati just a couple of weeks ago.
“I feel like I’m playing like a top 10 player,” she said post-match. “I have confidence that I can beat these players. That’s huge for me.”
Unlike Dinara Safina, another former No. 1 who has struggled mightily this season, Ivanovic has consistently projected positivity even when her ranking dropped into the mid-60’s earlier this year. Now she is back in the top 40, and poised to continue her ascent at the Open.
Her next hurdle will be veteran Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano who upset No. 13 seed Marion Bartoli in the second round. With the women’s draw as wide open as it’s been in years, you can bet Ivanovic’s loyal followers will be anxiously waiting to see if the smiley Serb can turn her new-found confidence into a U.S. Open breakthrough.
Many predicted tenth-seeded Victoria Azarenka was poised for a strong run, but her scary collapse on the court while trailing Gisela Dulko 5-1 put an end to those hopes. Spectators undoubtedly assumed she was suffering from a heat-related illness as temperatures on court topped 100 degrees, but after a trip to the hospital doctors concluded that a mild concussion sustained during a fall in practice earlier in the day caused her headache, dizziness and blurry eyesight.
Also advancing on a steamy Day Three were No. 3 seed Venus Williams, who overcame a tough first set to defeat Canadian qualifier Rebecca Marino 7-6, 6-3, and Kim Clijsters who easily took out another qualifier, Sally Peers, 6-2, 6-1.
Melanie Oudin’s bid for another dream run in New York came to an end against Alona Bonderenko 6-2, 7-5, and another American, Vania King came frustratingly close to taking out No. 24 seed Daniela Hantuchova before falling 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
Elena Dementieva, Samantha Stosur, Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta are all through to the third round.
By Blair Henley