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Serena successfully overcame the first obstacle

The match against Pliskova was quite a big challenge, but Serena used her chances, and beat the aggressive Czech in only two sets. That will give her extra confidence for the match against Ana, who's been displaying some really good-quality tennis

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Serena's record against Ivanovic in head-to-head matches is 5-1, but more importantly, both of them recorded one win this year. Ana won at the Australian Open, while Serena got back on the clay surface of Rome. Given Serena's problems with health following Wimbledon, Ana knows she will have her chances today.

She managed to beat Pliskova in the first match in only 64 minutes. Both opponents played an aggressive game, trying to finish the points as soon as possible, but the Czech player made more mistakes. Serena recorded 9 aces, and won 82% of first service points, while Pliskova had only 66%. The American was patient enough to wait for the opportunities to come her way, and managed to win three breaks, all three without Pliskova winning a point. She managed to save all three break points the opponent had for the impressive performance ahead of the match with Ana. She recorded 29 winners and 19 unforced mistakes, proving once again that not many players can cope with her shots.

- She was doing really well in the first set. She didn't give me a lot of opportunities, and I kept on being patient. I think I did well, and I felt well physically. I'm on the right track, I've been working on some new things, and I'm excited - Serena said.

While Serena played a tricky opponent who is always dangerous on hard court, Ivanovic played a Stanford Univeristy student Zhao. She beat her in 55 minutes, with only two lost games. Zhao fought the best she could till the end, but she was overpowered in every aspect of the game. She lacked speed to return all of Ivanovic's strong shots, and on top of that, she would often lost balance due to Ana's parallel shots.

Ivanovic recorded impressive 75% first service points, and 64% of second service points. She proved once again that forehand is her number one weapon. She said:

- Playing someone you don't know is more difficult. I expect a great match against Serena, since she won the tournament a few times. I'm looking forwards to the challenge.

Serena is always the favorite at Stanford, but Ana displayed good game as well. If she manages to control the unforced mistakes, she could take initiative and use the fact Serena didn't play in a long time. Ivanovic proved she can beat her in similar conditions at US Open, and win will definitely give her extra boost of confidence ahead of this match.