Ivanovic, Wozniacki Cruise Into Cincinnati Second Round
Ana Ivanovic battled back after trailing in the second set to knock off Sorana Cristea of Romania 6-1, 7-5 to advance at the Western and Southern Open. The Serb trailed 4-1 in the second set before rallying for the straight set victory.
“I was happy. I was a little bit doubtful going on the court considering last weeks. I had a little bit [of a] struggle with my back, but I was able to move free, especially in the first set, and I played well,” said Ivanovic, who picked up her WTA-best 43rd match win of the year. “Also, it was tough playing a good friend of mine. It’s never easy. You have to put it aside and try to do the best you can on the court.”
Ivanovic now moves on to play the winner of two Americans, Christina McHale and Nicole Gibbs, who play their first-round match Tuesday.
12th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki had no issues in her first-round bout, rolling over Magdalena Rybarikova 6-2, 6-3. She has now won 15 of her last 18 matches since falling in the first round at the French Open and has climbed back up to 12th in the world rankings.
“I’m in a great place right now,” said Wozniacki. “I’ve been working really hard. And this is the part of the season I really like. I love playing on grass, and I love the US Open series.”
The Dane will meet Shuai Zhang of China in the second-round after Zhang disposed of the United Kingdom’s Heather Watson.
American Madison Keys pulled off a bit of a shocker as she defeated Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-4. The 19-year old from Illinois notched four break-points and jumped out to leads in both sets, controlling the match from the onset against her French opponent.
“I don’t have many complaints about today,” said Keys. “I definitely played pretty well and stayed in my game for the most part. There are obviously a couple of things that I still want to work on and do better in the next round, but I’m pretty happy with today.”
Keys’ play will have to pick up a little when she meets fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova in the second-round. Sharapova, who won this tournament back in 2011, earned a first-round bye.
“I’m excited,” said Keys. “There shouldn’t be any pressure on me. I just have to try to play my best, and hopefully I’ll be really happy when I walk off the court. I think she’s very similar to me in how she plays, so I have always liked watching her.”
Taylor Townsend also moved on Monday, defeating Czech Klara Koukalova 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 to advance. The 18-year old from Chicago will next play 13th-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta.
