Jelena Jankovic said she took little notice of compatriot Ana Ivanovic across the net on Wednesday, emerging with a scratchy 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win in a Serbian struggle to reach the third round of the Madrid Masters.
“I treated it as just another match. Over the years you play so many matches and go through so many things. Maybe at the start of our careers it was important, Now you just want to play your tennis. You try your best and try to win," said the seventh seed who played the Rome final last weekend.
2008 Roland Garros champion Ivanovic led the series 6-2 going into the contest after making a move back to form last week in Rome with a semi-final which improved her ranking to 42nd on the WTA.
But the one-time number one was bedevilled on serve with a dozen double-faults which did not help her cause in the struggle lasting just over an hour and three-quarters.
Jankovic probably didn’t even notice. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a Serb or anyone else. I just played my tennis. It was not my best and I didn’t expect to play so great after a long week in Rome. But it’s the first match in Madrid with the altitude. I got through it and I get to play again tomorrow.”
Ivanovic faced 20 break points in the battle, losing 11 while Jankovic was broken eight times in the sloppy victory showing.
In the men’s ATP play, second seed Nadal had it easy against Oleg Dolgopolov of the Ukraine. He won 6-4, 6-3.
Croatian eighth seed Marin Cilic notched up a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of Argentine Edoardo Schwank in the second round while number 12 Frenchman Gael Monfils got a break as German Philipp Petzschner quit at 1-1 with a leg injury after just 11 minutes.
Argentine Juan Monaco put out Brazil’s 16th seed Thomaz Bellucci 6-2, 6-2.
Victor Hanescu of Romania overcame a first-set deficit before beating Daniel Munoz De La Nava of Spain 6-0, 4-6, 6-3.
In an all-Spanish contest, Feliciano Lopez had it easy against Oscar Hernandez 6-1, 6-2.
Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis upset Russian 10th seed Mikhail Youzhny with a 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 margin. — AFP