Serb pin-up Ana Ivanovic put her easy-going progress down to a square-shaped racquet. Serbian 18th seed Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion and who made the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2007, eased past Greek world number 121 Eleni Daniilidou 6-3, 6-0. The 23-year-old next faces Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic, who put out Polish 13th seed Agnieszka Radwanska, for a place in the last 16. Ivanovic, who has lost just four games in her first two matches, put her dominance down to using a black, square-shaped racquet.
“It’s new technology. It’s a very soft frame, but gives you a lot of control,” said the Serb. Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Russian 12th seed, and a two-time Grand Slam title winner, beat Romania’s Alexandra Dulgheru 6-0, 6-2 to set up a meeting with Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer, the 19th seed. Birthday girl Francesca Schiavone, the sixth seed and 2010 Roland Garros champion, was also a winner on the day she turned 30 as the Italian beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-3.
Later Thursday, China’s French Open winner and third seed Li Na faces German wildcard Sabine Lisicki. But she won’t be playing Zheng Jie in the next round, however, after her compatriot tumbled out to Japanese qualifier Misaki Doi 6-3, 6-1. Wozniacki aims to defeat France’s Razzano, the world number 96, who is playing Wimbledon to fulfill the death bed wish of fiance and coach Stephane Vidal, who died from a brain tumour in May. Russia’s 2004 champion Maria Sharapova, the fifth seed, tackles 17-year-old British wildcard Laura Robson, who won the 2008 junior championship.
Ivanovic cruises through
