Ivanovic and Venus on course to meet
Ivanovic and Williams could meet in the fourth round
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Wednesday, 29, Aug 2007 10:42
Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams are on course to meet in the fourth round of the US Open after successfully negotiating their second round ties.
Ivanovic defeated Aravane Rezai 6-3 6-1 after coming back from 3-1 down in the first set. The fifth seed won nine of the next ten games to comprehensively take the match.
Williams beat Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-4 6-2 in just over an hour. The American claimed a 4-0 lead in the first set before her 18-year-old opponent began a fightback.
The former champion would not be denied and upped her intensity to take the set. Williams opened up a similar lead in the second set but this time there was no fightback from Olaru and Williams won the match.
Ivanovic is looking forward to the potential match up between the pair.
She said: "It's not a big secret that this part of the draw is much harder. There's many good players.
"Also hopefully I can win my next match and then play against Venus again. We had tough one in Wimbledon just few months ago. I would really be excited to play against her."
Williams will face 21st seed Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine in the third round while Ivanovic takes on Russian Vera Dushevina.
Top seed Justine Henin remained on course after beating Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4 6-0. Pironkova kept the match close and held the world number one to 4-4 in the first set before Henin won the next eight games to win the match.