By Chris Oddo | Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Ana Ivanovic played emphatic tennis to take down Eugenie Bouchard in Singapore, 6-1, 6-3.
Photo Source: Julian Finney/Getty
Ana Ivanovic improved her chances of reaching the WTA Finals' last four with an energized 6-1, 6-3 send-off of world No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard in Singapore on Wednesday.
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Ivanovic notched her first victory against Bouchard in three tries with a strong serving performance that saw the Serb save six of seven break points.
“This is the beauty of the round-robin system,” said Ivanovic, who lost to Serena Williams in straight sets in her opening match in Singapore. “You still have a chance.”
Ivanovic was off to the races in the first set, claiming the first five games while Bouchard struggled to find her range. Still, the Canadian had her opportunities, but it seemed that each time she made headway against the Ivanovic serve, the Serb would hammer down a big first serve to stay out of trouble.
Ivanovic won 16 of 18 first serve points in the opening set, and an impressive 25 of 31 for the match.
In the second set Bouchard held leads of 2-1 and 3-2 but Ivanovic rallied to level and broke in a pivotal, protracted seventh game to move ahead for good.
Ivanovic improves to 8-8 vs. the top 10 this season, while adding to her tour-leading win total, which now stands at 57.
Bouchard was mathematically eliminated from reaching the last four after falling to 0-2 in the red group standings. She will face Serena Williams in her final round-robin match.
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