Ivanovic eases past injury-prone Petkovic

STUTTGART, Germany (AFP) –

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic, pictured in action in Stuttgart on April 21, 2013, needed just 72 minutes to see off Germany’s Andrea Petkovic on Tuesday in the first round of Stuttgart’s WTA tournament.

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic needed just 72 minutes to see off Germany’s Andrea Petkovic on Tuesday in the first round of Stuttgart’s WTA tournament.

The 25-year-old Serbian, who won the 2008 French Open title on her way to being world number one that June, enjoyed a 6-3, 6-2 first-round win against wild-card Petkovic who is on her way back after a series of injuries.

Petkovic was playing her first match since withdrawing mid-tournament in Charleston earlier this month due to a calf injury – and that was just her third tournament back from a knee injury earlier in the year.

The only seeded player in action on Tuesday, Nadia Petrova won a tight straight-setter against Germany’s match in Dinah Pfizenmaier.

The eight-seeded Russian won 7-6(7/2), 6-4 winner against the 21-year-old qualifier.

Both top seed Maria Sharapova, the reigning French Open champion, and China’s Li Na, second seed here, start on Thursday having been given byes for the clay-court event which serves as a warm-up for May’s French Open.

Australia’s Samantha Stosur, who reached the 2010 Stuttgart final, plays former world number one Jelena Jankovic of Serbia on Wednesday, while fifth-seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic is up against wild-card Annika Beck of Germany.