Ivanovic: 'My form is coming back'

Ana Ivanovic warned her title rivals she was peaking at just the right time as she stormed into the third round of the French Open on a day when top seed Maria Sharapova came perilously close to bidding adieu to Roland Garros.
 
Hours after seeing world number one Sharapova stumble into round two following a surprisingly epic three-set tussle against a Roland Garros debutant, second seed Ivanovic produced some stunning form to blast past beleaguered Czech Lucie Safarova 6-1 6-2 in just 55 minutes.
 
The difference in their displays was there for all to see, although Sharapova had to deal with testing weather conditions in the opening match on a windy Philippe Chatrier court.
 
Nevertheless, Ivanovic has clearly settled the quicker on the Parisian clay as she looks to go one better than last year, when she lost in the final to the now-retired Justine Henin.
 
And the Serbian is in bullish mood ahead of her third-round clash with Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.
 
"The grand slams are definitely the tournaments you really want to peak for and I'm really happy my form is coming back," said the 20-year-old, whose form coming to Paris had been disappointing.
 
"After the last two tournaments I played, I felt I needed to hit a lot more balls and work really hard. I did that and I had enough time to prepare.
 
"So coming into these matches, I felt confident and that helped me perform well."
 
In that breakthrough 2007 campaign at Roland Garros, Ivanovic swept aside Sharapova in the semi-finals with the loss of just three games but the Russian almost did not make it past the opening round 12 months on.
 
Playing in what she described as "desert" conditions, the 21-year-old squeezed past compatriot Evgeniya Rodina 6-1 3-6 8-6 in a match that lasted almost two-and-a-half hours.
 
Hampered by a misfiring serve, a game opponent smelling an upset and a severe wind that blew the Parisian clay into her face, Sharapova had to save three break points when 4-3 down in the third set.
 
She then broke Rodina, the world number 104, at the second attempt to go 7-6 ahead before claiming victory on her first match point when the tiring 19-year-old sent a backhand wide.
 
Sharapova, who needs the French Open title to complete a grand slam of major wins, admitted things had gone far from smoothly.
 
Asked what had been her problem against Rodina, she said: "Me, myself and I.
 
"I won the first set pretty comfortably and I kind of went downhill after that. I was quite tentative, giving her opportunities to take control of the points.
 
"I was trying to maybe be somebody that I'm not and that can get you in trouble. When you are out there playing under-14 tennis and pushing balls, you create your own problems.
 
"Realistically, I don't know if there's any way down from here."
 
Sharapova served 17 double faults in the match as the pressure began to tell, although her high ball toss in the wind would not have helped.
 
Rodina said: "I played very well. I'm not happy but that is life. I could have won."
 
Sharapova will play Bethanie Mattek, an American qualifier, in round two.
 
A third title contender, Serena Williams, did what was necessary in her 6-2 7-5 second-round victory over Mathilde Johansson on Philippe Chatrier court.
 
Williams, the 2002 winner here, struggled in the second set as the Frenchwoman gained in confidence but she will take on either Katarina Srebotnik or Ekaterina Makarova next.
 
Elsewhere on a busy day of first-round action, a number of other leading seeds went through.
 
Russian duo Anna Chakvetadze and Elena Dementieva, seeded six and seven respectively, both needed three sets to get past their opening opponents.
 
Chakvetadze recovered from a second-set wobble to seal a 6-3 5-7 6-1 win over Nuria Llagostera Vives while Dementieva defeated Vera Dushevina 6-7 (6/8) 6-0 6-2 in an all-Russian contest.There was more success for Russia with 11th seed Vera Zvonareva and Nadia Petrova, seeded 25, also making the second round.
 
The highest seed to fall today was Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli (9), the 2007 Wimbledon finalist slipping to a 6-7 (4/7) 6-3 6-2 defeat to Australia's Casey Dellacqua.
 
Two other seeds fell by the wayside, Israel's Shahar Peer (17) and Austria's Sybille Bammer (20).
 
Meanwhile, a number of other players joined Ivanovic, Williams and Wozniacki in round three.
 
Tenth seed Patty Schnyder will take on unseeded Emilie Loit next after they won their respective second-round matches against Timea Bacsinszky and Klara Zakopalova.
 
Agnieszka Radwanska, the 14th seed, also progressed.
 

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