Safina hopes test can help

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:46

World number one Safina had to come from a set down against Olivia Rogowska in Arthur Ashe Stadium to carve out a 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 victory against the unseeded Australian in two hours and 35 minutes.

“That was a very tough one,” Safina said, “I made it (tough). I made it into the second round and that’s a positive thing because tomorrow is another day, another chance to step on the court and play a better match.

“I would take it like this,” she added with a laugh. “In the French Open I won all the matches 6-1, 6-0. Did it help? Not really.”

Former champion Maria Sharapova continued her comeback from shoulder surgery with an impressive opening win over Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova to romp to a 6-3 6-0 victory.

Sharapova said: “This is a grand slam and you’ve got to get going in your first match. It’s a privilege to be playing any singles player out here and I’m more than excited to have an opportunity to play any match here after being gone. This is what it’s all about.”

Elena Dementieva raced into the second round with a 50-minute 6-1 6-2 victory on the Grandstand court over France’s Camille Pin.

In the same quarter of the draw as Safina, fifth seed Jelena Jankovic overcame an erratic start to clinch a 6-2 6-3 victory over unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci.

Eleventh seed Ana Ivanovic opened strongly against Kateryna Bonderova of Ukraine as she began her attempt to reach a first grand slam quarter-final of the year but the Serbian reverted to her run of poor form, letting her rival back in and then losing a third-set tie-break, Bondarenko winning 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).

French Open champion and 2004 US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova was another comfortable winner, defeating Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-3 6-2, and the sixth-seeded Russian will be joined in the second round by potential fourth round opponents Caroline Wozniacki, Nadia Petrova and Sorana Cirstea.

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