Ivanovic Victorious in Tokyo, Sets Up Cibulkova Rematch

September 24, 2015 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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Defending champion Ana Ivanovic got past Camilia Giorgi 7-5, 6-2 in the second-round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open on Thursday.

The second-seed Ivanovic had some trouble with Giorgi in the opening set. The young Italian broke Ivanovic to open up the match, but the Serb responded right back with a break of her own. The set would stay on serve until Ivanovic secured a late break to take the opener.

Giorgi even raced out to a 2-0 lead in the second set, but Ivanovic once again showed her toughness. She found another gear, and won the final six games of the match to lock up the victory and move into the quarterfinals in Tokyo.

“I’m obviously happy to have the victory tonight,” Ivanovic said after the match. “It was a very tough match tonight. She’s playing well, and she generates so much power off her groundstrokes and serve. I really had to stay low because she has such a powerful game. I knew I had to stay composed in the first set, and then stay on top of her in the second set, because if you let her play her game, she can play really well. I knew she would be dangerous so I’m happy I made it.”

The win puts Ivanovic into a quarterfinal matchup with Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova, who ousted sixth-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez-Navarro 6-4, 6-4.

The two have met recently. Cibulkova upset Ivanovic in the first-round of last month’s U.S. Open and leads the head-to-head series 3-2.

Fourth-seed Karolina Pliskova of France also advanced to the final eight on Thursday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Japan’s Kurumi Nara. She will take on seventh-seed Agnieszka Radwanska. The Poland native knocked off Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-1.

The other quarterfinal matchups in Tokyo will see top-seed Caroline Wozniacki take on Angelique Kerber, and Garbine Muguruza face Belinda Bencic.


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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