Second seed Ana Ivanovic progressed to the second round of French Open 2008, winning the opening match against Swedish Sofia Arvidsson 6-2 7-5. Though her performance was not flawless in the match, Serbian star could seal the match in straight sets. However, Ivanovic fans may not be fully happy with the first round performance of their favorite player. Ivanovic did not have to struggle enough to seal the first set 6-2, but the second set needed Ivanovic to give a stern test to clinch the match bouncing back from 1-3 down. However, the reason behind her straight set victory was her athleticism and excellent forehands that proved too much to afford for Sofia Arvidsson in the match.
Actually, Ana Ivanovic was not at her best in the opening match. Making 30 unforced errors can not be a great start for a tournament favorite. Her services were not up to the mark in the opening match. However, Ana Ivanovic thinks that she was a bit nervous as it was the first match of the tournament, but admits that the Swedish opponent gave her a tough match.
Independent reported:
"She gave me a tough match, especially in the second set, but I really enjoyed it out there," Ivanovic said later. "Today my goal was basically just to get into a rhythm. I was really happy with my game in the first set. I wasn't overhitting and overpowering from the first shot onwards. That was my goal for today, so I'm happy about it."
She added: "Last year I'd only just broken into the top 10 and I was under much less pressure. Now I'm world No 2 and have greater expectations for myself, which I'm still learning how to deal with. I'm only 20, so I really try to enjoy every match. I think I'm doing a good job. The last few weeks have been a little bit hard, but now I feel I have my game back."
Ana Ivanovic was the beaten finalist of last year. With Justine Henin’s abrupt retirement taking into consideration, Ana Ivanovic is considered as one of the most favorites of the tournament this year. Though she could not impress with her first match performance, it is expected that Ivanovic will get back her best form and appears with her prime form in the upcoming matches. Ana Ivanovic faces Lucie Safarova in the second round.
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