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Height: 6' (1.83 m) Weight: 152 lbs. (69 kg) Birth Name: Ana Ivanovic Birth Date: November 6, 1987 Birth Place: Belgrade, Serbia Home: Basel, Switzerland Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) Status: Pro (August 2003) Racquet: Yonex RQ iS 1 Tour Clothing: Adidas Shoes: Adidas Barricade V Charity: UNICEF National Ambassador for Serbia |
2012 At A GlanceCurrent WTA Rank: 18WTA Tournaments Played: 3 WTA Record: 4-3 Hardcourt: 4-3 Clay: 0-0 Carpet: 0-0 Grass: 0-0 Tournaments Won in 2011Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions
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2012 Tournament Results
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Ivanovic through to 4th round at Australian Open(1/20/12) Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic has advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open, beating American Vania King 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday at Margaret Court Arena.King, who beat 15th-seeded Anastasasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in the second round, is winless in four career meetings against Ivanovic, including in the first round of the Australian Open five years ago. The No. 21-seeded Ivanovic, a former No. 1, will play Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the fourth round. King’s loss left 13-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams as the only American remaining in singles at the tournament. Sharapova, Ivanovic into 3rd round in Australia(1/18/12) The delayed preparation is working well for Maria Sharapova so far at the Australian Open, where she has reached the third round after just two hours on court.The 2008 Australian Open winner had a 6-0, 6-1 second-round win over U.S. qualifier Jamie Hampton in 64 minutes on Thursday, two days after beating Argentina’s Gisela Dulko by the same margin. Sharapova did not play in any warmup events and spent nearly two weeks in Melbourne ahead of the season’s first major while she rested an injured left ankle. There was no indication of any problems with the ankle on Thursday, but the 24-year-old Russian wasn’t really tested by No. 144-ranked Hampton, who has only ever won one match at a Grand Slam. “It was more about getting my feet going … worrying about myself,” Sharapova said. “Yeah, started my preparations in the offseason a little late, took a bit of extra time in practice instead of rushing into a tournament.” She’ll meet either Stephanie Dubois of Canada or 30th-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany in the next round. Seventh-seeded Vera Zvonareva, a two-time semifinalist at Melbourne Park, had a 6-1, 7-6 (3) over Lucie Hradecka. No. 21 Ana Ivanovic also advanced, beating Dutch player Michaella Krajicek 6-2, 6-3. Sharapova is one of three former champions still in contention. Serena Williams was bidding to extend her winning streak to 16 matches at Melbourne Park when she played Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the subsequent match on Rod Laver Arena. Williams won back-to-back titles in 2009 and ’10 but missed last year’s tournament due to injuries. Defending champion Kim Clijsters is into the third round on the other half of the draw. Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki is aiming for her first major tile, and is one of four women in the draw who can finish the tournament at No. 1. After her 6-1, 7-6 (4) second-round win over Anna Tatishvili on Wednesday, she asked how her boyfriend might be able to help. She smiled, paused, then relayed some of the advice Rory McIlroy offered that helped him overcome similar pressure and win a golf major. “Well, it’s just about you can’t really do anything about the past,” Wozniacki said. “You just need to look forward. You have a tournament now, and you want to do the best you can. That’s it. “Then if it goes well, it’s great. If not, you have the next one. It’s like tennis.” McIlroy was considered a major golf talent on the cusp of a breakthrough when he blew a four-stroke lead and lost last year’s Masters. He handled it with such humility that it didn’t surprise anyone when he rebounded to win the U.S. Open two months later, when he was 22. Wozniacki is into a third-round match against No. 31 Monica Niculescu. A win could put her on course for a quarterfinal match against Clijsters, who routed Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France 6-0, 6-1. Clijsters will face longtime friend Daniela Hantuchova in the third round, and a win there could set up a fourth-round match against French Open champion Li Na, a rematch of the 2011 Australian final. Third-seeded Victoria Azarenka advanced in a night match with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Australian wild card Casey Dellacqua. Former top-ranked player Jelena Jankovic stayed alive in the draw after beating Chang Kai-chen 6-4, 6-2 and could be a fourth-round rival for Wozniacki. On the men’s side, No. 2 Rafael Nadal advanced without much trouble from his injured right knee or from German veteran Tommy Haas in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win. Four-time champion Roger Federer didn’t even need to pick up a racket because Andreas Beck withdrew from their second-round match. The top-ranked American man bowed out when No. 8 Mardy Fish lost to Alejandro Falla of Colombia 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (6). But No. 16 John Isner survived a five-setter to beat former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian, who was enraged by an umpire who didn’t allow him to challenge a disputed line call because he took too long to ask for a review. No. 7 Tomas Berdych, 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and No. 18 Feliciano Lopez all advanced. Andy Roddick was scheduled to play the last match Thursday against Lleyton Hewitt in a battle between two former No. 1-ranked players. Defending champion Novak Djokovic has an earlier center court match against Santiago Giraldo. Andy Murray, who has lost the last two Australian Open finals, takes on Edourd Roger-Vasselin. Australian Open Draw(1/13/12) Caroline Wozniacki (1), Denmark, vs. Anastasia Rodionova, Australiaw-Ashleigh Barty, Australia, vs. Anna Tatishvili, Georgia Pauline Parmentier, France, vs. Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia Alize Cornet, France, vs. Monica Niculescu (31), Romania Lucie Safarova (24), Czech Republic, vs. Christina McHale, United States Qualifier vs. Marina Erakovic, New Zealand Qualifier vs. Petra Martic, Croatia Qualifier vs. Jelena Jankovic (13), Serbia Kim Clijsters (11), Belgium, vs. Qualifier Stephanie Foretz Gacon, France, vs. Elena Baltacha, Britain Arantxa Rus, Netherlands, vs. Lesia Tsurenko, Ukraine Qualifier vs. Daniela Hantuchova (20), Slovakia Anabel Medina Garrigues (26), Spain, vs. Eva Birnerova, Czech Republic Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, Austria, vs. Olga Govortsova, Belarus Sofia Arvidsson, Sweden, vs. w-Olivia Rogowska, Australia Ksenia Pervak, Kazakhstan, vs. Li Na (5), China Victoria Azarenka (3), Belarus, vs. Heather Watson, Britain w-Casey Dellacqua, Australia, vs. Bojana Jovanovski, Serbia Anne Keothavong, Britain, vs. Mona Barthel, Germany Ayumi Morita, Japan, vs. Petra Cetkovska (32), Czech Republic Flavia Pennetta (19), Italy, vs. Qualifier Alberta Brianti, Italy, vs. Irina Falconi, United States Iveta Benesova, Czech Republic, vs. Mathilde Johansson, France w-Aravane Rezai, France, vs. Peng Shuai (16), China Francesca Schiavone (10), Italy, vs. Laura Pous-Tio, Spain Anastasiya Yakimova, Belarus, vs. Romina Oprandi, Italy Kimiko Date-Krumm, Japan, vs. Eleni Daniilidou, Greece Polona Hercog, Slovenia, vs. Julia Goerges (22), Germany Yanina Wickmayer (28), Belgium, vs. Galina Voskoboeva, Kazakhstan Tsvetana Pironkova, Bulgaria, vs. Sania Mirza, India Qualifier vs. Simona Halep, Romania Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States, vs. Agnieszka Radwanska (8), Poland Vera Zvonareva (7), Russia, vs. Alexandra Dulgheru, Romania Evgeniya Rodina, Russia, vs. Lucie Hradecka, Czech Republic Ekaterina Makarova, Russia, vs. Tamarine Tanasugarn, Thailand Johanna Larsson, Sweden, vs. Kaia Kanepi (25), Estonia Dominika Cibulkova (17), Slovakia, vs. Magdalena Rybarikova, Slovakia Rebecca Marino, Canada, vs. Greta Arn, Hungary Iryna Bremond, France, vs. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Czech Republic Tamira Paszek, Austria, vs. Serena Williams (12), United States Sabine Lisicki (14), Germany, vs. Qualifier Shahar Peer, Israel, vs. w-Isabella Holland, Australia Sloane Stephens, United States, vs. Silvia Soler-Espinosa, Spain Chanelle Scheepers, South Africa, vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova (18), Russia Angelique Kerber (30), Germany, vs. w-Bojana Bobusic, Australia Stephanie Dubois, Canada, vs. Elena Vesnina, Russia Mandy Minella, Luxembourg, vs. Qualifier Gisela Dulko, Argentina, vs. Maria Sharapova (4), Russia Sam Stosur (6), Australia, vs. Sorana Cirstea, Romania Qualifier vs. Urszula Radwanska, Poland Qualifier vs. Sara Errani, Italy Qualifier vs. Nadia Petrova (29), Russia Roberta Vinci (23), Italy, vs. Alexandra Cadantu, Romania w-Madison Keys, United States, vs. Zheng Jie, China Jelena Dokic, Australia, vs. Anna Chakvetadze, Russia Virginie Razzano, France, vs. Marion Bartoli (9), France Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (15), Russia, vs. Klara Zakopalova, Czech Republic Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukraine, vs. Vania King, United States Kristina Barrois, Germany, vs. Michaella Krajicek, Netherlands Lourdes Dominguez Lino, Spain, vs. Ana Ivanovic (21), Serbia Maria Kirilenko (27), Russia, vs. Jarmila Gajdosova, Australia w-Zhang Shuai, China, vs. Aleksandra Wozniak, Canada Irina-Camelia Begu, Romania, vs. Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain Vera Dushevina, Russia, vs. Petra Kvitova (2), Czech Republic Ivanovic loses in 1st round at Sydney event(1/7/12) Ana Ivanovic’s Australian Open preparations hit another obstacle Sunday in the Sydney International when the former No. 1 and 2008 French Open champion was beaten 7-6 (5), 6-2 by Lucie Safarova.Ivanovic lost to Kim Clijsters in the second round last week in the Brisbane International, meaning the Serb will have had just three tournament matches going into the Grand Slam event next week at Melbourne Park. Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki and Wimbledon champion and No. 2 seed Petra Kvitova have first-round byes in the joint ATP-WTA Sydney tournament. Top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro and the three other top men’s seeds also have first-round byes. Ivanovic celebrates birthday with Bali high(11/6/11) Ana Ivanovic celebrated her 24th birthday by successfully defending her Tournament of Champions title with a comfortable 6-3 6-0 victory over Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues on Sunday.The victory was the Serb’s 11th singles title but first since winning the event last year. Her previous best results in 2011 were achieved with semi-final appearances in Birmingham and Carlsbad. The Spaniard was seeking her third title of the season following victories in Estoril and Palermo, and had enjoyed an easier route to the final after her previous two opponents this week retired from their matches. Marion Bartoli suffered an ankle injury and quit after holding two match points and Sabine Lisicki failed to complete the third set of their semi-final due to a back problem. “I feel great,” Ivanovic told reporters. “I think I played an impeccable match today. I didn’t do much wrong and really stayed so focussed and even sat at her chair (at a change of ends).” Ivanovic, who was granted a wild card into the tournament, won all three of her matches in straight sets and did not face a break point in the final. Although Medina Garrigues defended well and engaged her Serbian opponent in many long rallies, it was Ivanovic who always found the killer shot, producing a number of spectacular winners. Ivanovic broke just once in the first set, to lead 2-0, but she also held four break points to lead 4-0 before Medina Garrigues managed to haul herself into the match. The second set was a rout, however, as Ivanovic surrendered just seven points on her way to her convincing victory. Remarkably, Ivanovic went into the match concerned about her ability to perform. “My shoulder was actually scary,” Ivanovic admitted. “Yesterday it started to feel really sore. I did some autographs after the match and I couldn’t even sign. “I really tried to keep points short and take pace off my serve and it really worked well. I’m very proud of the way I played and the way I handled myself.” Medina Garrigues felt she was helpless as Ivanovic played at such a high level, and believes her opponent is capable of regaining the number one ranking she held briefly in 2008. “I don’t feel good about the way I played today, but Ana was playing so good I couldn’t do too much,” said Medina Garrigues. “She didn’t feel the pressure and was playing good, solid. “I think she can be number one again. She has unbelievable tennis. It’s difficult, but she was already number one. “It’s going to be tough but she has the game, the technique and the physical strength.” Following a three-year run in Bali, the tournament will move to Sofia, Bulgaria for three more years from 2012. Serbia's Ivanovic wins Tournament of Champions(11/6/11) Ana Ivanovic successfully defended her WTA Tournament of Champions title with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Anabel Medina-Garigues on Sunday.The Serb gained momentum against her Spanish opponent early and was untroubled in winning her first final since the same event last year. “I feel great. Very unexpected, actually,” said Ivanovic. “I think I played an impeccable match today. Really I didn’t do much wrong.” Medina-Garigues praised her opponent’s poise in the final. “In the middle of the second set I started thinking a little because I saw her, she didn’t feel, I didn’t feel that she felt the pressure, and she was playing very good, solid, no mistakes, hitting very hard the ball, serving good, so I think she was the player who had to win the match,” Medina-Garigues said. Ivanovic celebrated her 24th birthday with the $210,000 prize and is now setting her sights on a better start to next season. “I think next year is going to be big, and I really want to sort of play tournaments that I’m ready for and really go and take my chances because you know I think especially the first half of the year I have nothing to defend and I can take my opportunities and hopefully keep the level and break the top 10,” said Ivanovic. “That would be the first step, first goal, and then take it from there.” Nadia Petrova of Russia took third place by defeating Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, 6-2, 5-7, 6-0. Hantuchova filled in for Sabine Lisicki, who had to pull out with a back injury. Ivanovic to play Medina Garrigues in Bali final(11/5/11) Defending champion Ana Ivanovic will play Anabel Medina Garrigues in Sunday’s final of the WTA Tournament of Champions.Ivanovic defeated Nadia Petrova of Russia 6-1, 7-5 Saturday, despite getting little sleep after an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 hit Bali on Friday night. “I jumped out of the bed, I had no idea what was going on,” Ivanovic said. “Everything started moving and cracking, and it was the first time I was in an earthquake.” After racing through the first set, Ivanovic broke at 5-5 in the second and held to advance to the final. Medina Garrigues defeated Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 4-6, 4-0 Saturday after Lisicki retired with a back injury. Lisicki, who said she took painkillers before the match, first had treatment in the second set but still managed to break serve and win the set. However, the 22-year-old German lost power in the third set and she pulled out at 30-30 while trailing 4-0. “I was fighting, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to finish,” Lisicki said. Medina Garrigues reached the semifinals when Marion Bartoli of France pulled out of their quarterfinal match with the Spanish player leading 4-6, 7-6 (7), 1-0. “I didn’t have too many retirements in my career and now I have two in a row,” Medina Garrigues said. “I feel bad for Sabine.” The 29-year-old Spaniard will play the 18th final of her career against Ivanovic in the final tournament on the WTA calendar. Ivanovic leads their career matchups 2-1. Ivanovic, Petrova through to Bali semifinals(11/3/11) Defending champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia set up a semifinal against Nadia Petrova of Russia after winning her opening match at the Tournament of Champions on Thursday.Ivanovic beat fourth-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-3, 6-3. Earlier, Petrova knocked out second-seeded Peng Shuai of China 6-4, 6-3. Both winning players needed treatment as they embarked on the last tournament on the WTA calendar. Ivanovic had a foot problem, while Petrova’s neck was hurting. “It was a bit sore, but actually when I was moving it was feeling better,” Ivanovic said. “Every time I would sit and then stand up from the bench, that’s when it was the sorest.” Ivanovic made a fast start, jumping out to a 4-0 lead, and though Vinci managed to get back to 4-2, the Serbian put away the first set with a powerful forehand. The former French Open champion broke three times in the second set to claim victory in 1 hour, 10 minutes. Ivanovic was given one of two wild cards for the tournament, which also features the six highest-ranked players who have won a title during the season but did not qualify for the WTA Championships. Peng was given the other but fell in the opening round to Petrova, who lost her serve four times in the match but managed to break seven times. The 25-year-old Peng had won both her previous matches against Petrova this year in three sets. “Today it was very important for me to win that first set,” said Petrova, who had medical attention during the first set. “I had a little bit of difficulty with the serve, especially in the first set. “There was something going on with my upper back or neck, I don’t know. The adrenaline kicked in and I started not to think about it much. I started to focus more on the game.” Top-seeded Marion Bartoli of France plays her opening match against Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain on Friday. Azarenka advances to Luxembourg quarterfinals, Ivanovic Falls(10/20/11) Top-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated Italy’s Alberta Brianti 6-0, 6-1 on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Luxembourg Open.Fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic was the biggest star to fall when the Serb was beaten 6-3, 6-2 by Anne Keothavong of Britain. In other second-round action, Bibiane Schoofs of the Netherlands came from behind to beat Rebecca Marino of Canada 1-6, 6-1, 7-5. Lucky loser Lucie Hradeca of the Czech Republic defeated Alexandra Cadantu of Romania 6-3, 6-4, and Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia beat Simona Halep of Romania 6-2, 6-2.
Azarenka, Ivanovic advance in Luxembourg(10/19/11) Top-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-4 Wednesday to reach the second round of the Luxembourg Open.She was joined by fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, who defeated France’s Virginie Razzano 7-6 (2), 6-4. The biggest seed to fall Wednesday was No. 5 Flavia Pennetta of Italy, who lost to Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 6-3, 6-2. Sixth-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany earned a place in the quarterfinals by defeating Tamira Paszek of Austria, 6-4, 6-2. Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic also advanced to the quarter after seventh-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia withdrew from their match because of an injury. Azarenka, Ivanovic through at China Open(10/5/11) Second-seeded Victoria Azarenka reached the third round of the China Open by beating Polona Hercog of Slovakia Wednesday, while in the men’s draw third-seeded Tomas Berdych was also a straight-sets winner over Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.The fourth-ranked Belarussian Azarenka will next face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia. Pavlyuchenkova beat Azarenka in doubles on Wednesday. “I just need to get some rest and get ready for tomorrow,” Azarenka said after her 7-6 (8), 6-3 win. In the third round, Ana Ivanovic defeated third-seeded Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-1. The former No. 1 said changes made by new coach Nigel Sears were starting to pay off, especially in improving her serve and forehand. “Sometimes it takes time to see results, but it’s coming together now,” said Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion. Ivanovic will next meet 11th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who beat Zheng Jie of China 6-1, 6-4. In another third-round match, ninth-seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany defeated eighth-seed Marion Bartoli of France, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a contest that lasted two hours, 44 minutes. Also Wednesday, Berdych reached the third round of the men’s draw with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Kohlschreiber. The Czech next faces Fernando Verdasco of Spain, who defeated Flavio Cipolla of Italy 2-6, 6-1, 6-2. Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia beat Florian Mayer of Germany 6-0, 2-6, 6-3, and Mikhail Youzhny of Russia beat Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-5. Ivanovic consoles herself with Serbian success(9/5/11) Former world number one Ana Ivanovic was swept out of the U.S. Open by Serena Williams in the fourth round Monday but consoled herself with the success of fellow Serbs Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic.“It’s been great to have so many players playing so well,” the 2008 French Open champion she said after her 6-3 6-4 loss. “I saw Janko had a win. It’s really exciting. “People back home are very thrilled, and they wake up in the middle of the night to watch our matches. We always get messages of support, which is great. That’s something that also motivates us.” Top seed Djokovic and his Davis Cup team mate Tipsarevic will play each other in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows. “I think the guys, they have really good relationship with each other,” Ivanovic said. “It’s always tough to play someone from your own country. But I’m sure they’ll be a great match.” Ivanovic said she thought the recent success of Serbians on the circuit had spurred them on to greater heights and inspired more kids back home to take up the sport. The 16th seed said she thought there was something in the make-up of many Serbians that served them well on court. “I think Serbians actually have quite a combustible character,” she said. “Maybe that’s good for tennis. Maybe that’s something that drives us. Sometimes we can have fired up emotions out there.” Djokovic agreed with Ivanovic. “There is something in the mentality that obviously helps us to be here, helped us to be successful in what we do,” the world number one said after his straight-sets victory over Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine. “The past and the life story that we have behind us … because we have all experienced the war, we have all experienced the tough times back home, struggles to have the right conditions to become a professional player. “In the end, those things, when you turn around, make you appreciate life much more. So I think that’s an advantage of the mentality.” Djokovic, winner of this year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon titles, has put together one of the most impressive seasons ever, taking his 2011 record to 61-2 on Monday. Ivanovic said Djokovic’s Wimbledon triumph had won a tremendous response back home. “It’s huge,” she said. “I don’t know if you have seen the celebration after he got back. It’s amazing. “To have him win that made Serbia very proud.” Asked what a U.S. Open title would mean for Djokovic, she said: “It would be amazing, because then he’s going for all four eventually.” Ivanovic tops Stephens in straight sets at US Open(9/5/11) Serena Williams needed just 74 minutes to return to the U.S. Open quarterfinals, beating 2008 French Open champ Ana Ivanovic in straight sets.Williams won 6-3, 6-4 on Monday to move on to face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in her first major quarterfinal since missing nearly a year with a series of health problems. The 16th-seeded Serb actually had more winners Monday. But Williams minimized her mistakes on a windy afternoon in Arthur Ashe Stadium, with 14 unforced errors to Ivanovic’s 29. Ivanovic had eight double-faults in the blustery conditions. The 28th-seeded Williams is a three-time U.S. Open champion. Ivanovic tops Stephens in straight sets at US Open(9/1/11) Ana Ivanovic beat American teenager Sloane Stephens in straight sets Saturday to reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open.The 16th-seeded Serb won 6-3, 6-4. and will next face Serena Williams. Ivanovic has never been past the fourth round of the U.S. Open. There were 10 breaks of serve in 19 games in the match. The former world No. 1 made the most of her opportunities, converting 6 of 7 break points, to overcome 26 unforced errors. Ivanovic wins in Open walkover(9/1/11) Ana Ivanovic’s match was a walkover. Francesca Schiavone’s may as well have been.A pair of former French Open champions moved into the third round of the U.S. Open on Thursday. Seventh-seeded Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champ, defeated Mirjana Lucic 6-1, 6-1. And 16th-seeded Ivanovic, the 2008 titlist at Roland Garros, won when Petra Cetkovska withdrew with a quadriceps injury. “It’s never nice to win this way,” said Ivanovic, a former No. 1 moving her way back up the rankings after a drop into the 60s last year. “But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy to be through to the next round.” Schiavone’s win took all of 53 minutes in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Lucic committed 32 unforced errors to only seven for Schiavone. No. 11 Jelena Jankovic and No. 18 Roberta Vinci also advanced in straight sets. On the men’s side, ninth-seeded Tomas Berdych defeated Fabio Fognini of Italy, 7-5, 6-0, 6-0. Among those playing later Thursday were third-seeded Roger Federer, top-seeded Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, the 28th seed on the women’s side. Serena’s sister, Venus, withdrew on Wednesday, citing a recently diagnosed autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s syndrome, which can cause fatigue and joint pain. In an interview Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” she said she plans to return to tennis. “Sjogren’s is something you live with your whole life,” Williams said. “The good news for me is now I know what’s happening after spending years not knowing. … I feel like I can get better and move on.” She said she suffered from swelling, numbness and “debilitating” fatigue. Ivanovic honors grandfather with US Open win(8/30/11) Ana Ivanovic walked to the sideline with only one more game to win before she closed out her U.S. Open victory over Ksenia Pervak of Russia. She laid on the ground near her chair and called for the trainer. But this was no routine injury.Ivanovic is still mourning the death of her grandfather, Milovan, who passed away over the weekend. She was able to set it aside for most of Tuesday’s match, but near the end, she said emotions got the best of her. “I had quite a tough weekend,” she said. “When I was serving for the match, I kept thinking, ‘I’m doing it for him.”’ After a brief visit from the trainer, Ivanovic wrapped up the match and defeated Pervak 6-4, 6-2. The 16th-seeded Serb, who won the French Open and made a brief appearance at No. 1 in the rankings in 2008, has been slowly climbing back up after a drop into the 60s last year. Part of her resurgence could have to do with a reconciliation with golfer Adam Scott, who was in the stands for the opening-round match. At the beginning of the year, Ivanovic told the (Sydney) Sunday Telegraph that her on-court performance had suffered in the aftermath of a breakup with Scott. Asked on Tuesday if Scott’s presence in the stands meant they were back together, she said, “It was really nice to see him there. Now we’re just happy, and that’s all that matters.” Every bit as much on her mind, however, was her grandfather. Ivanovic choked back tears while describing a very close relationship with Milovan Ivanovic but said she had no regrets about playing so soon after his death; she believes he would want her to be out on the court competing. “In the last couple of years, I’ve had to deal with many different things, many different issues out there,” she said. “I’ve just tried to put it aside and try to focus on hitting the ball. There are moments where things creep in a little more. But it’s important to be in the moment and think more tactically and take your mind off that.” Ivanovic is in a tough part of the draw, with possible matches against No. 23 Shahar Peer, No. 28 Serena Williams and No. 4 Victoria Azarenka possible in rounds three and four. Women's seeded players for U.S. Open(8/23/11) Here is a list of seeded players for U.S. Open, which will run from Aug. 29-Sept. 11 in New York.1. Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) Top trio exit Cincinnati as Wozniacki upset(8/17/11) A big puff of pizzazz seeped out of the Cincinnati Open on Thursday as its top seed Caroline Wozniacki slipped out and star attraction Serena Williams quit the tournament, along with third seed Victoria Azarenka.Fans and organisers were left deflated with 13-times grand slam winner Williams and third seed Azarenka both having been scheduled to play on centre court as part of a busy schedule alongside the ATP men’s event. Williams pulled out citing a right toe injury—but also noting her need to get some rest before the U.S. Open. “I don’t think this is a good time for me to take a big chance. I just don’t think that would be smart,” said American Williams. Azarenka then withdrew due to a right hand injury which she didn’t want to risk just two weeks from the final grand slam event of the year in New York. “It’s impossible to play for me. I was waiting until the last moment to be 100 percent sure that I cannot compete,” said the Belarussian. “It’s important also prior to the U.S. Open. It just doesn’t make any sense to make it worse,” she said. Those fans of the women’s game who did manage to see one of the favourites witnessed an upset with Wozniacki looking well below her best against 19-year-old American Christine McHale. With golf sensation and friend Rory McIlroy in attendance, the Danish top seed never looked close to her best as she fell 6-4 7-5 to the 76th ranked McHale. The defeat was the first time Wozniacki lost to an opponent outside the top 75 since 2009 and extends a worrying spell of form for the Dane. Wozniacki, who suffered early round exits in her last two tournaments, handed victory to McHale with an awfully-timed stroke which looped way over the baseline. The 21-year-old heads to the U.S. Open later this month in search of her first grand slam title. Serbian Ana Ivanovic’s disappointing season continued with a 6-3 7-6 loss to Russia’s Nadia Petrova, but another Serbian former number one, Jelena Jankovic enjoyed a 4-6 6-3 6-1 win over China’s Zheng Jie. Germany’s Andrea Petkovic advanced with a 6-2 6-4 win against Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson. Zvonareva to face Ivanovic in tennis semi-finals(8/6/11) Vera Zvonareva has fended off Sabine Lisicki, earning a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win on her fifth match point to lead the top three seeds into the semi-finals of the WTA San Diego Open.The top-seeded Russian will play resurgent Ana Ivanovic, who escaped from 1-4 down in the opening set to defeat China's fourth seed Peng Shuai 6-4, 6-2. Ivanovic, the 2008 Roland Garros champion, has been re-booting her game with a new coach and trainer and is seeing her hard work pay off. The Serb, a former world number one who is trying to improve on her 18th ranking, equalled her best showing of the season by reaching the final four. Ivanovic spun in an ace for a match point and advanced as Peng, who had her left hip taped in the second set, returned wide after 77 minutes. "It was my first night match," said Ivanovic. "I'm happy I managed to calm down and get the break back. "Then I was back in the match, I'm very pleased. "Zvonareva will be a tough opponent, she's just coming off a title. But it will be a good test for me to see where my game is and what I need to work on." Zvonareva, twice a Grand Slam finalist in 2010, overcame six double-faults to triumph in two and a quarter hours. The Russian, who won her 12th career trophy in Azerbaijan last month, claimed her eighth consecutive win to drive her record in 2011 to 28-6 on hardcourts. Second-seeded Andrea Petkovic earned a win for Germany as she motored past US teenager Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-1 in 66 minutes. Petkovic next faces third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, who shrugged off a sore right shoulder to beat eighth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 0-6, 6-4, 6-4. Radwanska admitted she considered packing in the match after dropping the first set without winning a game, but pride prompted her to play on. "You're playing Daniela, who is a great player. I could lose the match, but not 6-0, 6-0. I've been playing too well to lose so quickly," she said. "That pushed me to keep fighting." Radwanska has been bothered by a nerve problem in her shoulder which has affected her serve. She was broken six times during the win. "Playing two hours is not really helpful for my shoulder, but I'll try my best tomorrow," said the Pole. "I didn't have much service, but I was just fighting till the end." Petkovic, who has gone from strength to strength here as she launches her build-up to the US Open, schooled the 131st-ranked Stevens with four breaks. "It's very important when you play these young players to show who's the boss on the court. There will come another time and another place when she will be a top player," said the winner. Petkovic is on track to break into the WTA Top 10 for the first time. She's projected to become the first German woman in the Top 10 in the world rankings since Anke Huber in October of 2000. Peng, Ivanovic advance at Carlsbad(8/4/11) China’s Peng Shuai and former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic both won in straight sets Wednesday to reach the round-of-16 at the Mercury Insurance Open, while Germany’s Julia Goerges was a surprise casualty.Peng won 6-1, 6-3 against Australia’s Anastasia Rodionova to set up a clash with Italy’s Sara Errani, while Serbia’s Ivanovic beat Japan’s Ayumi Morita 6-1, 7-6 (5) and will next face another Italian, Alberta Brianti. The shock of the day was provided by American teenager Sloane Stephens, who upset No. 7 seed Goerges 6-3, 7-5 despite a potentially costly and embarrassing mistake. Stephens, 18, beat her German opponent with a steady ground game and won despite squandering a set point when she allowed a ball that was going out to hit her in the back. “I knew definitely she is an awesome player,” Stephens said. “But today wasn’t her best day. I’m happy I got her on this day. But everyone has their days and today wasn’t hers. I guess it was mine.” No. 11 seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia withdrew from the tournament Wednesday with a left hip injury before her second-round match against Romania’s Tamira Paszek. Stephens will face Paszek in the next round. Sabine Lisicki, the No. 12 seed from Germany, overwhelmed 40-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan 6-1, 6-2. Lisicki’s round-of-16 opponent will be local favorite, 19-year-old Coco Vandeweghe, who was a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 winner over lucky loser Olga Savchuk of the Ukraine. Ivanovic, after winning the first set easily, lost the first five games of the second set before reeling off five consecutive games herself and and forcing the tiebreaker. Her next opponent Brianti also had a topsy-turvy match, being blanked in the first set before edging Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson 0-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (7). Eighth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia won her first match 6-1, 6-3 over Barbara Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic to set up a meeting with Zheng Jie of China, who upset No. 9 seed Roberta Vinci of Italy, 6-4, 6-2. The No. 16 seed Polona Hercog of Slovenia lost 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Russia’s Vera Dushevina, whose next challenge will be top-seeded Vera Zvonareva. Stephens’ previous biggest win was over then-No. 67 Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic last season at Indian Wells. Wednesday’s result allowed her to laugh at the set point she gave away when Goerges hit a ball long, but Stephens inexplicably allowed the ball to hit her in the back. “That was so embarrassing. I don’t know what happened,” Stephen said. “I was watching it, I tried to get out of the way. … That’s never really ever happened to me before. It was embarrassing, it was funny, it was childish, something an 18-year-old would do.” Goerges, who has two wins this season over top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, is struggling on the hardcourts after losing last week in the first round of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford. “If you saw me play last week, it’s not so frustrating,” Goerges said. “It’s been a big improvement. I am trying to play my game and I am going for it the whole match. It is not working out right now, but it’s the right way to come back.” Revived Ivanovic looks to second half of tennis season(8/1/11) Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic hopes a recent shake-up in her coaching and fitness team will help her produce a solid second half of the year starting at this week's San Diego Open.The number 19 Serb, seeded fifth at the $721,000 hardcourt event, will try and forget a first-round loss last week in Stanford against Japan's Ayumi Morita. She will open against either Morita or Australian Jelena Dokic. "I've not had a great first part of the season, but I'm hoping to change that now," said Ivanovic, the 2008 champion at Roland Garros who then ascended to the top WTA ranking before a slow decline. "It has been up and down for me, but I'm looking forward now. There is still half of the season to go." The winner of 10 WTA titles is working now with Briton Nigel Sears as coach and has also re-appointed former fitness trainer Scot Burns. In addition, she is advised by Swiss Heinz Gunthardt, former coach to Steffi Graf. "I'm just happy to be competing," said Ivanovic. "There are a lot of good and I'm just hoping to do well." The Serb is playing in San Diego for the third time, with her most recent match a first-round loss last year. Leading seeds got in more practice time in perfect sun-soaked conditions thanks to byes as understudies took the spotlight on opening day. Polona Hercog, the Slovenian 16th seed, defeated South African Natalia Grandin 7-6 (7/1), 2-6, 6-4 while China's Zheng Jie put out Croatian Mirjana Lucic 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3). Virginie Razzano of France staged a fightback past Czech Lucie Hradecka 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. Brit Elena Baltacha, who lost to Razzano last week, kept up the misery for one-time US Open quarter-finalist Melanie Oudin 6-0, 6-1. Other first-round winners included Americans Andrea Glatch and Jill Craybas and Russian Vera Dushevina, a winner over Aravane Rezai of France by 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Russian Vera Zvonareva holds the top seeding ahead of Andre Petkovic, one of theree players from Germany's new wave who are attracting attention this year. Along with Australian Open quarter-finalist Petkovic, Wimbledon semi-finalist Sabine Lisicki and Stuttgart champion Julia Goerges are also making debuts at the event. "We have three girls all doing well," said the personable Petkovic. "We have a healthy rivalry. It's always tough to play a friend, but we will all have to do that. "We each push each other by our results to improve. We all believe we can do damage at the Grand Slams." Maria Kirilenko upsets No. 6 seed at Stanford(7/26/11) Russia’s Maria Kirilenko beat sixth-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany 6-2, 6-3, Tuesday in the first-round of the Bank of the West Classic.Seventh-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, playing her first match with a new coach and fitness trainer, was knocked off by Japan’s Ayumi Morita, 6-3, 7-5; Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova beat newcomer Rina Fujiwara of Japan, 6-0, 6-2; Germany’s Sabine Lisicki defeated Romania’s Simona Halep, 6-1, 6-2; qualifier Marina Erakovic of New Zealand beat Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson, 6-2, 6-1; and Poland’s Urszula Radwanska topped Ukraine’s Olga Savchuk, 6-2, 6-4, in a matchup of qualifiers. The 25th-ranked Kirilenko, who reached the quarterfinal of this event last year, snapped a 13-match losing streak against the top 20 player with her victory. She’ll play the winner of a later match between Serena Williams and Anastasia Rodionova. Kirilenko is a five-time WTA Tour singles champion and is looking for her first title since 2008. Goerges, ranked 20th, won her first Premier WTA singles title at Stuttgart earlier this year. The 50th-ranked Morita had lost in the first round in her three previous appearances at Stanford, each time to the eventual champion. She’ll meet Urszula Radwanska in the second round. Ivanovic, a former world No. 1, began working with coach Nigel Sears right after Wimbledon. She also returned to fitness trainer Scott Byrnes, with whom she worked with between July 2006 and July 2009. British tennis chief becomes Ivanovic's new coach(6/30/11) The head of British women’s tennis quit Thursday to become the new coach of former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic.Nigel Sears spent 4 1/2 years as a head coach at the Lawn Tennis Association and was also the captain of Britain’s Fed Cup team. Ivanovic has struggled to maintain the form that won her the French Open in 2008 as age 20. She is currently ranked No. 18. “I couldn’t be happier,” said Ivanovic, who was runner-up at Roland Garros in 2007 and at the 2008 Australian Open. “I’ve admired Nigel for some time now and I can’t wait to start working with him on court. “It was important that I waited for the right coach, and we are both excited about the challenges ahead.” During Sears’ time at the LTA, five British women broke into the world’s top 100—two in the top 50—and two girls won Junior Grand Slam titles. “It’s been a real privilege to be in charge of women’s tennis at the LTA … and I feel we’ve made considerable progress in the women’s game over this period,” he said. Sears previously worked with Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova and South Africa’s Amanda Coetzer when both were ranked in the top 10.
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