Lisicki was a quarterfinalist in Stuttgart 12 months ago, but has struggled for form this term, picking up just five wins and suffering a one-sided defeat to fellow German Andrea Petkovic on her last outing, in Charleston. Ivanovic on the other hand, has been building up a head of steam of late, with two titles and a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open edging her ever closer to a return to the Top 10.
Despite it being her first outing of the year on clay, Ivanovic wasted little time finding her range, wrapping up a one-sided opening set in barely 25 minutes. With her trademark forehand firing on all cylinders, the Serb continued her ascendency in the second, overturning an early break to build a 4-2 lead when Lisicki tugged a backhand wide. Lisicki briefly raised hopes of a comeback when she broke in the next game, but this only served to inspire Ivanovic, who raced through the final two games to book her place in the second round.
I'm obviously very happy with my performance today," Ivanovic said. "It was a tough match for me, so I really came on the court sharp, started really well, served well. I was consistent throughout the whole match. I stuck with the tactics we had and was very pleased with my performance. "With my team we have a path that we set for ourselves. Every match and every new tournament is a new challenge for us. I really just want to get more consistent and I've been doing that better this season. "Towards the end of the season, my aim it would be to get to Top 10. But the main focus is just being consistent, then the ranking will take care of itself."
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario