Ivanovic Topples Kuznetsova at Italian Open
Ana Ivanovic defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 in her first round match at the 2012 Italian Open.
"It was tough out there today, but it was the same for both of us," said Ivanovic, who won her only major title at Roland Garros in 2008. "I just tried to move and to adjust and really tried to look at the ball and move forward. It was difficult at times and the gusts of wind would come out of nowhere, but it was a good match."
Ivanovic is moving back towards the top 10 after she had multiple first-round losses at other Grand Slams. Nigel Sears, her current coach, has been attributed with her turnaround after they started working together after Wimbledon in 2011.
"He is very calm and I am a perfectionist and sometimes I try to do too much at the same time, and so he is very reasonable when he comes onto the court … so this helps me to calm down a lot," Ivanovic said.
The Italian Open is the last of the major clay-court warm-up tournaments prior to the French Open which begins in two weeks.
On the men’s side of play, American John Isner defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber in three sets, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2. Isner looked as if he was going to be sent home packing before he fought back to take the second set in a tie-breaker. Fernando Verdasco also made it to the second round after Alexandr Dolgopolov retired with stomach pains.
