Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic returns the ball to Germany’s Sabine Lisicki during their first round match of the Stuttgart Open yesterday. (EPA)
AFP/Stuttgart
Defending champion Maria Sharapova admits she had a tough opening in her bid to win a third straight Stuttgart WTA tournament title after her three-sets win over Lucie Safarova.
Sharapova, who has never lost on her two appearances in Stuttgart after winning the 2012 and 2013 titles, will face Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Thursday’s last-16 tie after beating Czech Republic’s Safarova 7-6(7/5), 6-7(5/7), 7-6 (7/2) late on Tuesday.
Sharapova had to dig deep having been just two points away from defeat when Safarova levelled at 30-all with the scores at 6-5 in the decisive third set.
The statuesque Russian, the sixth seed in Stuttgart, needed three hours, 24 minutes for the 100th clay-court victory of her career. “I hadn’t expected that it would be an easy match,” said Sharapova, three days after her 27th birthday. “There were ups and downs, but the level was good from both of us.
“The momentum changed hands a couple of times.
“I’m happy that I’m the winner, because at one stage in the third set I was only two points away from defeat.”
Earlier Pavlyuchenkova defeated Latvian qualifier Diana Marcinkevica 6-3, 6-2 to set up her clash with Sharapova for a quarter-final place.
Former world number one Jelena Jankovic, the fifth seed, saved four match points to reach Thursday’s last 16 when she came back to claim a 2-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-3 win over German lucky loser Mona Barthel.
Former French Open finalist Sara Errani cruised into the Porsche Grand Prix quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Kaia Kanepi. The eighth-seeded Italian won four games in a row to take the opening set against 23rd-ranked Estonian Kanepi. She later served out the second-round match to love in 1 hour, 22 minutes at the indoor clay event.
Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic ousted German Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki 6-1, 6-3 in the first round. However, there was also joy for the hosts, when 2011 champion Julia Goerges defeated Romanian Sorena Cirstea 6-1, 7-5.
Errani is the first quarter-finalist in the Stuttgart field, which is headed by world number three Agnieszka Radwanska. She starts Thursday against Errani’s doubles partner Roberta Vinci after a first-round bye.
Errani reached the French Open final in 2012, but is not thinking of the clay court highlight so far, or of a title in Stuttgart.
“I am just playing my game. I am taking it step by step,” said Errani, who had just nine unforced errors to Kanepi’s 40.
Errani rebounded from 3-2 down to take the first set and came back from a break down to lead 4-2 in the second. The players then traded breaks before the Italian clinched up her third win in the fifth duel with Kanepi.
Ivanovic lost the first game against Lisicki, but booked the next six to take the opening set against the German, who has been struggling with her health and form.
The Serbian, who has two 2014 titles and briefly was world number one in 2008 after her lone grand slam title at the French Open, dropped serve in the opening game of the second, but regrouped instantly and wrapped up matters after one hour with a serve winner.
“I am pleased to win. Sabine is a good player and it was a tough match,” the 12th-ranked Ivanovic said.
The 94th-ranked Goerges was delighted with her win over world number 27 Cirstea, in which she fought back from 3-1 down in the second set. Goerges is trying to regroup from a bad 2013 campaign marred by injury and early exits.
“This place is special to me. There are so many memories,” she said. “There was definitely big relief ... Every match is important for me.”
