Former world number one Ana Ivanovic is headed to Brisbane to open her season. The Serbian is headed back to Auckland after lifting up the title their last year. This year, the former world number one began her season at the Brisbane International. She wound up making the final before losing to Maria Sharapova in three sets in a highly competitive final.
A Look Back at Ivanovic’s Title In Auckland
Each of the opening tournaments of the season boasts a highly competitive field so winning a title in one of these events, despite the small amount of points you earn, is no small task. The event started in late December of 2013 rather than in the new year. The Serb was seeded second only behind Roberta Vinci, and an upset of Lucie Safarova in the first round meant she did not have to face a seed until the semifinals where she defeated third-seeded Kirsten Flipkens.
With all the seeds going down in the top half (Jamie Hampton was the last seed and walked over in the semifinals), Ivanovic was set to meet Venus Williams. It was a tight affair between the two, but Ivanovic gutted it out in three sets to lift the ASB Classic title. This really kickstarted the Serb’s season as she found herself in the WTA Finals at the end of the year.
Dropping Points From Brisbane To Auckland
The Brisbane International is a WTA Premier event while the ASB Classic is a WTA International event. Premier events offer more points than an International event. At Brisbane since Ivanovic is the defending finalist, she is defending 305 points. If she were to win the Auckland title this year, she’d only earn 280 points so she will be losing 25 points. Had she won title in Brisbane last year and won it this year, it would be a 190 point drop off for the Serb as a title in Brisbane would have garnered her 470 points.