The fourth favorite, the Serb Ana Ivanovic, today advanced to the third round of the tournament female Sydney International Tennis after defeating the French Virginie Razzano in a gathering of uncertain outcome. Ivanovic won 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 in two hours and two minutes of the match disputed in the runway central International Tennis Olympic Park in the city.

The Serb, who declared possess the game needed to win the 2008 Australian Open, won the first set easily, but in the second the French reacted and managed to match the contest.

In the third, Razzano seemed finally seizing the encounter by taking a 5-2 advantage.

However, the nerves he played a trick on me to the French, who lost five games in a row ran out what looked like a sure victory.

Meanwhile the head serial number 2, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, also advanced to the third round with a convincing victory of 6-3, 6-4, on the Israeli Shahar Peer.

The world number one and first favorite of the tournament, the Swiss Justine Henin, ranked the third round without having played any party so far.

Henin was exempt in the first round, and today in the second Czech Lucie Safarova had to retire for an injury on one leg.