Ana Ivanovic cruised into the quarterfinals of the Mallorca Open after a dominant performance against Sara Sorribes Tormo. Ivanovic needed 51 minutes to put away the Spanish teen, 6-1, 6-0. The Serb tallied back-to-back match wins for the first time in four months.
Ivanovic zooms through the opening set, faces zero break points
The Serb walked onto Center Court for her second round encounter in Mallorca. Ivanovic was set to play the home hope, Sorribes Torno, who recently mentioned her admiration for the 2008 French Open champion. Ivanovic began their first career meeting with a hold to 30 before immediately breaking for a 2-0 lead. The Serb maintained her level to eventually win the next two games to 30. The world number 153 trailed the third seed by a margin of four games, and the 19-year-old lacked any answers for the Ivanovic game.
The Serbian then built off her momentum and held in a lengthy game. Ivanovic led Sorribes Tormo five games to love with the first set's finish line in sight for the third seed. But the Spaniard refused to go down without a fight. Sorribes Tormo held to love to tally her first game of the match. On the seventh game of the match, Ivanovic closed out a 26-minute opening set with a hold to 15. The world number 24 found herself a set away from her third quarterfinal this year.
Serb sails into the final eight in Mallorca, drops just one game
Ivanovic started the second set off with the same form she held in the opening set. She quickly broke for a 1-0 advantage before extending her lead with yet another hold. The Serb continued her momentum to break for the fourth time. Ivanovic led 6-1, 3-0 after 40 minutes of world-class tennis on Center Court. Ivanovic neared the finish line, being within 12 points of the Mallorca Open quarterfinals.
A hold to 15 and a break to 30 from the one-time major champion extended her lead to a set and 5-0. The Spaniard had been outplayed by Ivanovic as she never found a rhythm on serve and especially on return. The world number 24 arrived at three match points, but she only needed to finish off a show-stopping performance against the beloved 19-year-old from Spain. The 6-1, 6-0 win for Ivanovic concluded in less than an hour as just two of the 13 games went beyond deuce.
Serb to play Garcia
Ivanovic will take on a familiar opponent in her quarterfinal. Caroline Garcia captured three wins over the third seed last year, but the pair has yet to meet on grass. Both players are playing high-quality tennis, but the Serbian's performance will ultimately decide the outcome of the match on Friday. If her forehand and serve are working, she should be able to oust the Frenchwoman's nifty game. The pair will play the second match on Center Court, with it being the most intriguing match on Friday.