August 30, 2012 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
The number 14th-seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia defeated Greta Arn of Hungary 6-3, 6-2 in action at the 2012 U.S. Open on Thursday afternoon. The first set saw two breaks in favor of Kirilenko which easily gave her the set 6-3. In the second set, Kirilenko had three break points in the third game to continue her dominance; however, Arn fought back to hold at 2-1. In the fifth game, Arn double faulted on game point to give Kirilenko a 3-2 lead. Kirilenko continued to over power and served out the match at 5-2 to win in straight sets advancing to the third round. She will go on to play Andrea Hlavackova, a 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-3 winner over Galina Voskoboeva. Alexander Ovechkin, captain of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, was in attendance cheering for his girlfriend Kirilenko at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Kirilenko advanced to the semifinals of the 2012 London Olympics before losing to the top-ranked Victoria Azarenka. Kirilenko did collect a Bronze Medal in women’s doubles along with teammate Nadia Petrova.
Also on the women’s side on Thursday afternoon, Ana Ivanovic of Serbia defeated Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden and cruised into the third round after a 6-2, 6-2 victory. Ivanovic had 39 winners and won eight consecutive games en route to the third round. Ivanovic will face either Sloane Stephens and Tatjana Malek in round three.
"I played her last year and she has certainly improved, at this point, there is no easy opponent and it will be a tough match," said Ivanovic in regards to a possible match against Stephens. "At the moment, I feel healthy. I believe my foot is healed. I am feeling fine and I am happy."
