The 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic won’t arrive in Paris the way she’d hoped. But a hard-fought competitive loss in Italy may be good preparation for Roland Garros. Ivanovic was sent packing early at the Italian Open by Daria Gavrilova, the Russian currently ranked No. 78 in the world. Though she fought off seven match points, Ivanovic eventually succumbed to Gavrilova 5-7 7-6(2) 7-6(7) in a second round match that took more than three hours.
Gavrilova is never to be taken lightly. In March she defeated world number 2 Maria Sharapova in straight sets in the second round of the Miami Open. Ivanovic lost in the third round last year at Roland Garros. The 2015 French Open begins May 19.
