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News & Photos / Articles / As it happened: No.28 Alisa Kleybanova v Ana Ivanovic

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As it happened: No.28 Alisa Kleybanova v Ana Ivanovic

Thursday, May 27, 2010
By Charlotte James
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16:47 Game, set, match, Kleybanova: 6-3 6-0
Ivanovic launches a counter-attack on the Kleybanova backhand. The Russian doesn't like having to stretch for it, or retrieve it from her toes, it seems. Ivanovic takes a 30-0 lead on the Kleybanova serve. A point later she earns a double-break point with a clean angled forehand winner and that famous fist pump makes a rare appearance. Some well-placed shots from Kleybanova and the game stands at deuce. The Russian makes a rare, and winning, foray to the net to earn her first match point after one hour and five minutes. Seconds later Ivanovic hits a weak forehand return into the net, allowing Kleybanova to complete a clean sweep of the second set and advance into the third round. There she will face the winner of the match between No.8 Agnieszka Radwanska and Yaroslava Shvedova.

16:43 Second set: Kleybanova 5-0
The off-forehand to Ivanovic backhand rallies are becoming painful to watch. Kleybanova breaks Ivanovic's serve with a combination of good tactical play and a running backhand cross-court passing-shot on game point that is surely the play of the match.

16:38 Second set: Kleybanova 4-0

A fleeting glimpse at the Ivanovic of old as she hits deep and hard to draw three errors from her Russian opponent, holding double break point at 40-15 up on Kleybanova's serve. The No.28 seed's serve has gone off a tiny bit but her second serve is nothing to be trifled with and Ivanovic shanks consecutive forehands to allow Kleybanova back to deuce. Ivanovic fights off three game points but in the end she simply has no answers for Kleybanova's thumping serve. The Russian moves ever closer to the finish line.

16:37 Second set: Kleybanova 3-0

Kleybanova takes a 30-15 lead on the Ivanovic serve, then 40-30. The former champion is in deep trouble against the No.28 seed. She can’t buy a first serve out there and Kleybanova is making mincemeat of her second delivery. Savaging the Serb’s backhand corner once more, Kleybanova executes the double break.

16:37 Second set: Kleybanova 2-0

A rare double fault gives Ivanovic a glimpse at an opportunity. That glimpse becomes a glare when Kleybanova makes a rare backhand error to hand Ivanovic break point at 30-15 up on the Russian’s serve. Keen to capitalize, the Russian approaches the net and fluffs a backhand volley to hand Kleybanova a game point. Ivanovic swipes at the court in frustration. Per the script Kleybanova puts in a big first delivery then proceeds to pound Ivanovic’s backhand into submission, finishing off the game with a massive smash into the stands.

16:35 Second set: Kleybanova 1-0

Ivanovic steps up to serve and Kleybanova hits the ground running in this second set. Reeling off a barrage of testing ground strokes she rapidly has Ivanovic on the back foot.

16:23 First set: Kleybanova 6-3

Kleybanova claims a love service game of her own and the first set along with it. She's executed a really smart strategy against Ivanovic so far, keeping the error count down and playing the big points well. Not to mention some really sharp looking winners.

16:18 First set: Kleybanova 5-3

Against the run of play, Ivanovic holds to love. Her confidence might be shaky at the moment but it seems her fighting spirit is lurking around somewhere.

16:12 First set: Kleybanova 5-2

Kleybanova's hat has a smiley faced band-aid on it but there's no smiling under the Ivanovic visor at the moment. She makes her seventh unforced error for the match and gives herself a good talking to, pulling the hat's brim down over her face. Kleybanova's power is proving too much for Ivanovic to handle at this stage. The Russian holds.

16:07 First set: Kleybanova 4-2

Ivanovic goes for a change in tactics and starts to serve and volley. It works when she follows the ball into the net, not so well when she strands herself in 'no man's land'. It's 15-15 and back to the drawing board. She dishes up a fourth double fault for the match en route to deuce but the Kleybanova backhand is working like clockwork and she's soon nabbing a second-consecutive break of the Serb's serve.

16:05 First set: Kleybanova 3-2

Kleybanova gets busy inside the baseline and starts spraying winners around. Ivanovic is left watching the balls skid by her. The Russian holds serve in a hurry, pummeling another forehand past the baseline-bound Ivanovic to take the lead for the first time in this match.

16:02 First set: 2-2

Some tightly-angled backhands by Kleybanova - one of her trademarks - give her two break-back points on the Ivanovic serve. Right on cue, the cracks appear in Ivanovic's serve and she double faults, allowing Kleybanova to level the score.

16:00 First set: Ivanovic 2-1

Ivanovic is returning well off the forehand wing today and extends Kleybanova to deuce. The No.28 seed has a narrow advantage in the serving department at the moment, getting 57 percent of first serves in, and fends off the Serb's attack to get on the scoreboard in this match.

15:53 First set: Ivanovic 2-0

Ivanovic's serve has been a huge source of concern for the former world No.1 in recent months. She makes a workable job of her opening service game however, sending down one ace and one double fault to extend her lead.

15:50 First set: Ivanovic 1-0

Kleybanova (wearing a dark blue baseball cap with a piece of sticking plaster adorned with a smiley face drawn in marker pen) kicks things off. The players exchange points until 30-30. Ivanovic belts a clean forehand winner on the next service return to earn an early break point in this match. She takes it when Kleybanova plonks an awkward-looking backhand into the net. The former champion takes the early advantage.

15:48 Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) v Ana Ivanovic (SRB): pre-match

The arrival of players on courts has prompted cheers all around Roland Garros and the outside courts are slowly filling up as the women on Court No.1 finish their warm-up. Kleybanova won the toss and will be serving first.


15:42 Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) v Ana Ivanovic (SRB): pre-match

Welcome to a soggy Court No.1 for this second round match between rising Russian star Alisa Kleybanova - enjoying a solid 2010 season so far, and Ana Ivanovic, a former French Open champ looking to recapture previous, free-hitting form. Kleybanova plays with the fearlessness of someone with very little yet to lose while Ivanovic is currently struggling to hold together some semblance of self-belief so this could be an interesting clash.

Player Bios:

Alisa Kleybanova Bio
Ana Ivanovic Bio
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