Ivanovic Survives Stosur in Sofia
On Thursday at the 2013 he Garanti Koza WTA Tournament of Champions in Sofia, Brussels, it was 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic who was victorious over 2011 U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur in three sets, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. Just two weeks ago, it was Stosur who advanced to the finals of the Kremlin Cup by Bank of Moscow by getting past Ivanovic in the quarterfinals, 7-5, 6-4 before losing in the finals to Simona Halep. Round robin action continues Friday in Sofia.
"I played a little bit of a loose game at the end of the second set and was rushing a little bit too much, but I managed to calm down and start fresh in the third set," Ivanovic said. "I started the third set in the same manner as I started the match, so I was very happy about that today. I talked a lot with my coach about the last match we played, and I was trying to adjust my position on returns—I felt she was serving really well in Moscow, and this time around I made more returns."
Also in Sofia, Simona Halep defeated Alizé Cornet in two sets, 6-4, 6-4 for her 50th match win of the year, as well as a spot in the semifinals of the Garanti Koza WTA Tournament of Champions. Halep's win, her 50th of the year, makes her just the fourth player to reach that milestone after Serena Williams (78), Agnieszka Radwanska (56) and Petra Kvitova (51). Roberta Vinci currently has 49 match wins on the year and could also make it to 50 in Fed Cup this weekend.
"I was a little tired tonight and didn't serve so well, but I stayed focused and I'm very happy to be through to the semifinals," Halep said. "My match tomorrow is still important, because if I lose, it will not be so easy to come back two days later and play such an important match as the semis. I want to keep my winning momentum!"
