Ana Ivanovic defeats Venus Williams at China Open in Beijing
Tuesday 6 October 2015 18:21, UK
Ana Ivanovic produced a confidence-boosting win over Venus Williams in a battle of the former World No 1s to move through to the third round of the China Open.
The Serb came through a tough first-set tussle before eventually prevailing 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 against Williams, who landed her biggest title in more than five years in Wuhan last week.
"I was very pleased overall, not only with the forehand but just with my game. I worked really, really hard," Ivanovic told the official China Open website.
"I knew it was coming, but it was just a matter of time putting it all together. The last few days, I have been doing really well on the practice courts. I was happy to transfer that onto today's match. It was an important match for me and a good one to win."
Ivanovic, who restructured her support team after Wimbledon, will take on Svetlana Kuznetsova - a former World No 2 - in the third round.
US Open champion Flavia Pennetta was made to work hard against Teliana Pereira from Brazil, coming from a set down to win 3-6 6-0 6-4.
There were also wins for eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, Timea Bacsinszky and Andrea Petkovic.
