Ana Ivanovic survived a scare from American Sloane Stephens on Saturday night, emerging as the 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 winner in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the 2012 U.S. Open. The 12-seeded Serbian took control in the third set after winning the 10-minute-long sixth game to take a 4-2 lead.
U.S. Open 2012 Tennis Scores: 12-Seed Ana Ivanovic Survives Scare From Sloane Stephens
The match extended past two hours early in the third set, and fatigue was evident on both players. Ivanovic served with a deuce advantage for a commanding 3-1 in the final set and double faulted. In the next game, Stephens double faulted twice to help Ivanovic to a 3-2 final-set lead.
Ivanovic survived the 2 hour, 21 minute-long match despite hitting 56 unforced errors, with Stephens hitting only 31 in comparison. She advances to play Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria, who defeated Silvia Soler Espinosa in three sets.
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