MELBOURNE, Australia — After struggling in her first match at the Australian Open since losing last year’s final, Ana Ivanovic finished with a flourish in a 7-5, 6-3 win over Julia Goerges today.
The fifth-seeded Ivanovic was broken once in each set but fended off five other break points before finishing with consecutive aces against Goerges, a German ranked No. 107 and playing only her fourth major.
Ivanovic lost the 2008 Australian final to Maria Sharapova, who is not defending her title because of an injury, and then won the French Open to move into the No. 1 ranking midway through the year.
But the 21-year-old Serb was bothered by injuries in the middle of the season and her form at the majors waned, going out in the third round at Wimbledon and second round at the U.S. Open.
She and Goerges finished with a combined 66 unforced errors to just 34 winners and were called for several foot faults.
“I took some time to adjust to the rhythm and everything, to slowly get into match,” Ivano-vic said. “I’ve never played against her before . . . never seen her play. She was hitting the ball very well.
“I don’t expect myself to step on the court and play perfect tennis from the very first moment. You just want to give yourself the best possible chance and give time to work yourself into the tournament.”
Top-ranked Jelena Jankovic, who lost the U.S. Open final to Serena Williams and has yet to win a major title, had an easier time than her fellow Serbian. Jankovic ripped 27 winners against Yvonne Meusburger’s four in a 6-1, 6-3 win.
Seventh-seeded Andy Roddick also was impressive in a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 win over 31-year-old Swedish qualifier Bjorn Rehnquist.
The 2003 U.S. Open champion lost only nine points in the first set, sealing it in 28 minutes after setting up triple set point with consecutive aces.
Third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic, the defending men’s champion, defeated Italy’s Andrea Stoppini 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
Australian Open
A look at the opening day of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park:
Key men’s matches today: No. 2 Roger Federer vs. Andreas Seppi; No. 3 Novak Djokovic def. Andrea Stoppini 6-2, 6-3, 7-5; No. 7 Andy Roddick def. B. Rehnquist, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2.
Key women’s matches today: No. 1 Jelena Jankovic def. Yvonne Meusburger, 6-1, 6-3; No. 3 Dinara Safina vs. Alla Kudryavtseva; No. 5 Ana Ivan- ovic def. Julia Goerges, 7-5, 6-3.
Stat of the day: 14. Roger Federer, with 13 Grand Slam singles titles, begins his quest to equal Pete Sampras’ record 14 majors.
Quote of the day: “New season, big opportunities for me.” — Federer
On TV: 1 p.m. (taped), 7 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. on ESPN2
The Associated Press
