STUTTGART, Germany -- Ana Ivanovic was upset by qualifier
Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 on Thursday at the Porsche Grand
Prix, and top-ranked Justin Henin beat Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-1 in
her first match since winning the U.S. Open.
Ivanovic, the runner-up at the French Open and a Wimbledon
semifinalist, had numerous errors against the hard-hitting
Ukrainian. The 21-year-old Bondarenko advanced to her second
quarterfinal of the year and will play Tatiana Golovin, last year's
runner-up.
"I am not surprised, I prepared well for this tournament,"
said Bondarenko, who has yet to advance past the quarterfinals of a
tournament.
Asked if this was the biggest win of her career, she said: "Yes, it is."
Henin, who also won the French Open this year, took a month off
after the U.S. Open.
"I had a nice long rest, and it's a good win for me today,"
Henin said. "It's good to be back. The first match is never easy
and I've been a bit sick the last few days. This is such a strong
tournament, I have to be on my best from the beginning."
Henin's next opponent will be Elena Dementieva, who beat
eighth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-4.
Defending champion Nadia Petrova eased into the quarterfinals
with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over qualifier Michaella Krajicek.
Another Serb, third-seeded Jelena Jankovic, rallied to beat
Shahar Peer 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
"She doesn't give you any free points," said Jankovic, seeking
her fifth title of the year. "You have to fight for every point."
In the quarterfinals, Jankovic will play Petrova; Serena
Williams, who advanced Wednesday, meets Svetlana Kuznetsova.
The 19-year-old Ivanovic was coming off her third tournament
victory this year in Luxembourg, where she also qualified for next
month's season-ending WTA Championships in Madrid.
"I am definitely very disappointed, I came here with high
expectations," Ivanovic said. "But she played an amazing match, she didn't do much wrong."
Ivanovic was in early trouble against the 46th-ranked
Bondarenko. She dropped her serve in the opening game and struggled with her serve throughout the match.
The Serb pulled even at 2-2, following two straight
double-faults by Bondarenko, but she didn't win another game in the
first set.
Ivanovic called for her coach during the changeover and came out
strong in the second, breaking Bondarenko's serve twice to go up
5-0 before winning the set.
"She played better in the second set, but I was also rushing,"
said Bondarenko, whose older sister Alona is also on the tour.
Another error by Ivanovic, a netted forehand, gave Bondarenko
the decisive break and a 5-3 lead in the third. Ivanovic saved two
match points in the next game but then sent another forehand long to
end it.
Ivanovic said she was "emotionally drained" after beating
Patty Schnyder 6-0, 6-2 on Wednesday.
"I was struggling to find my rhythm from the beginning, I was flat," she said.
Jankovic double-faulted to lose the first set but dominated
after that.
She wasted two match points and then gained a third on a netcord.
Jankovic hit a few deep shots and forced Peer into a backhand error
to end the match.