Ana Ivanovic skipped through to the third round of Australian Open 2009 with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Alberta Brianti in the opening match at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday.
The Serbian No.5 seed took a while to find form against her Italian opponent, who was playing her fifth match in Melbourne.
Ivanovic, last year’s women’s singles runner-up, struggled with her serve. Despite securing an early break, the 21-year-old was immediately broken back. She persevered, making constant forays to the net.
A misjudged smash which rebounded off Ivanovic’s frame instead of the strings forced the Serbian to bury her face in her hands and smile, but the net-charging tactics helped her on way to pocketing the first set.
Come the second, Ivanovic began to display flashes of the form that helped her climb to number one spot last year, racing to a 3-0 lead.
Brianti started to struggle physically, and the 28-year-old looked to be in extreme discomfort with a lower back problem. A three-minute medical time-out followed as the Italian was led off court to receive treatment.
She emerged a new player – breaking Ivanovic in the ensuing game – but her resurgence was to be short-lived. The Serb soon found her rhythm and range of shots, and quickly wrapped up the second set and the match.
Ivanovic will face either Alisa Kleybanova or Stephanie Cohen-Aloro in the next round.
Quick facts
Ivanovic hit five aces to Brianti’s none, while the Italian had six double faults
Ivanovic’s fastest serve was 175km/h, while Brianti’s quickest delivery was timed at 158km/h
The match lasted 92 minutes
Ivanovic had 26 winners and 26 unforced errors
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