Sony Ericsson Championships first round--Jankovic meets her nemesis

Ana Ivanovic is probably the last woman Jelena Jankovic wants to see on the other side of the net in her first round--in the first round--of the 2008 Sony Ericsson Championships. Jankovic is 1-6 against Ivanovic (they played eight times, but one of the results was a walkover), and her only victory occurred in 2006. Jankovic, however, is not the player she was in 2007, and--indeed--is not even the player she was the first half of 2008. Her serve is much better, and she is hitting the ball harder. Jankovic's game has more wholeness, if you will, and is no longer just the sum of a number of spectacular parts.

However, Ivanovic appears to have overcome the confidence dip she experienced after she sustained a thumb injury. And she is certainly the fresher of the two. This will almost certainly be a close one.