Tennis: Ivanovic Favored to Turn Back Time in Luxembourg
Former World’s No. 1 Ana Ivanovic continues her long climb back to the top in Luxembourg, where she won her fifth career title in 2007. Eight years ago, Ana Ivanovic was one of the rising young stars on the WTA Tour. She then went on to win the 2008 French Open and claim the No. 1 spot in the rankings. Ivanovic hasn’t reached that level since, but she’s enjoying something of a comeback at age 27, and she’s the favorite to win her second title in Luxembourg.
Ana Ivanovic, the Worlds No. 12 seed, still leads Venus Williams, Carla Suarez Navarro and Karolina Pliskova in the world rankings, but the season finale only features the top eight players for the season and not necessarily the top eight ranked players overall. It was a quick fall from grace and a slow climb back up the mountain for Ivanovic. But after a number of coaching changes, the Belgrade native started putting things together again in 2013. Ivanovic has had some mixed results this year, but she’s well on her way in Luxembourg after beating Heather Watson in the first round on Tuesday.
Ivanovic is followed on the odds list by Timea Bacsinszky and Jelena Jankovic. Bacsinszky is the top seed at Luxembourg, ranked two spots above Ivanovic at No. 10 in the world rankings. Jankovic, like Ivanovic, is trying to recapture the magic that made her World’s No. 1 in 2008. Ivanovic’s toughest competition should come from Timea Bacsinszky and Jelena Jankovic. Jankovic is a recognized name, but like Ivanovic, she hasn’t been World’s No. 1 since 2008. Jankovic is currently No. 24 in the world rankings and the fifth seed at Luxembourg.
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