Ivanovic loses at Rogers Cup, No. 1 status at risk

Ivanovic loses at Rogers Cup, No. 1 status at risk

MONTREAL (AP)—Top-ranked Ana Ivanovic was knocked out of the Rogers Cup on Thursday night by Tamira Paszek, giving second-ranked Jelena Jankovic a chance to take over the top spot in women’s tennis if she can reach the final of the tournament.

Paszek, a 17-year-old Austrian ranked 94th in the world, won 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 over Ivanovic, who was playing with a sore right thumb she injured two weeks ago while practicing. The thumb was taped for the match against Paszek, but it was Paszek’s tenacity and some unforced errors from Ivanovic that were her downfall.

Jankovic, a Serbian compatriot of Ivanovic, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Stephanie Dubois, the last Canadian left in the tournament.

Jankovic next will face 19-year-old Dominika Cibulkova, who upset 12th-seeded Nadia Petrova 7-6 (2), 6-2. The 31st-ranked Cibulkova has steadily climbed the rankings. Last week, she defeated Petrova at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, Calif.

Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated 15-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Larcher de Brito, a qualifier from Portugal, was ahead 5-4 in the first set before Kuznetsova rallied to win three straight games. Larcher de Brito took a 4-1 lead and cruised in the second set. But the fourth-ranked Kuznetsova broke her serve three times in the third.

“It was a really tough match,” said the 169th-ranked Larcher de Brito. “It was a fun match, actually. I enjoyed myself. It was a good fight.”