Ana Ivanovic Tries to Keep Australian Open Bid Alive with Win over Madison Keys

A couple of years ago, Ana Ivanovic would’ve started with the first chance to defeat Madison Keys, regardless of where the match was played. The Serbian player won a Grand Slam before, but her chances to repeat that performance in Australia are slim to none. For the time being, she tries to keep the dream alive and she can overcome the first obstacle on Saturday, by defeating her American opponent.

Narrow Advantage for Ana Ivanovic

The two players met on a single occasion, back in 2014 when Ivanovic prevailed in straight sets at the Madrid Masters. The fact that the match was played on clay is less relevant, because both players are well suited for playing on hard court. Ana was not at the height of over form in 2014, but still managed to win the first set without breaking a sweat and wrapped things up with a tiebreak.

Madison Keys is no stranger to tie breaks and she had to play two of them at the Australian Open this season, each time in the first set. She has a 50% rate of success in these instances and this brought her on the brink of elimination against Yaroslava Shvedova.

A Great Underdog to Bet On

Over the last few years, punters lost a lot of money betting on Ana Ivanovic to win, as bookmakers offered tiny odds for this outcome. Now that she has fallen from grace and is frequently credited with the second chance, she is a great player to wager on.

When she plays her best tennis, she can defeat virtually any player in the world, but unfortunately the lack of motivation and consistency has plagued her career lately. Punters can enjoy odds of 6/5 at Bet365 if they are willing to take a leap of faith with the former Grand Slam winner.