Jankovic beats Ivanovic

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:08

The 23-year-old Jankovic regained the top spot in the rankings last month following a title win in Stuttgart.

But Jankovic, the runner-up at this year’s US Open, will be hard-pressed to remain number one at this championship event that features the world’s top eight players.

Coming off an opening-round loss last week at Zurich, Jankovic played efficiently against Ivanovic, who lost for just the second time in eight meetings between the players.

Jankovic did not commit a double-fault and converted a break in each set during the 89-minute match.

Ivanovic, the world number four, had not lost to Jankovic since the 2006 season, a string of five matches.

“It was a pretty strong performance,” Jankovic said. “It was very windy and not easy to play but I was strong and very focused.

“Since the last time we played, at the French Open, I have improved. My game has gone to another level.”

The other round-robin winner in Tuesday’s White Group play was Vera Zvonareva, who cruised past fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2 6-3.

Zvonareva needed just under 80 minutes to dispatch the mistake-prone Kuznetsova, the world number seven. The world’s sixth-ranked player, Zvonareva overcame six double-faults by converting four breaks, including three in the opening set.

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