Event: Western & Southern Open
Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

BEFORE: It's the classic Serbian vs Croatian battle royale here in Cincinnati where former WTA #1 Ana Ivanovic tries to return into any kind of winning form after a terrible 2016 season up to date. When a marriage to footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger becomes the highlight of the past several months then even the most loyal fans question whether the Serbia's most poplar female player still has what it takes to remain in contention for tournament wins or has she drifted to the point teenage upstarts can scratch her as the biggest scalp on their short career resume. Journeywoman ending to a Grand Slam winning tennis adventure just doesn't seem right but Ivanovic refuses to address the retirement talk and vows to blow the doors off Vekic as we enter the American hard court summer.

Meanwhile Donna Vekic made the headlines for all the wrong reasons last year when her relationship with fellow tennis player Stan Wawrinka was revealed to the public. That came at a prize of the Swiss Grand Slam winner's marriage but the 20 year old blonde dismissed the bad press that followed even though her actual tennis results suffered a massive nose-dive in the proccess. Croatia's been palying second fiddle to Serbia in the tennis world for more than a decade and now there's a huge chance that Vekic actually scores the most prestigious victory available with Ivanovic slumping so badly in recent months.

Donna Vekic wears a white bikini top, turquoise knickers and matching turquoise gloves. Blonde hair tied in a long ponytail. Ana Ivanovic wears a violet bikini top, white knickers and black gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a braid. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.

Round 1:
Ivanovic wastes no time in stalking the blonde with a high jabbing assault; she's usually the aggressor on court but struggles with accuracy lately which is the main reason behind her slump. No such problems early in the fight against the Croatian youngster and a solid double combo on the mouth really puts Vekic off her stance. Ana loops a couple of hooks shortly afterwards and sends her foe into defensive circles which only adds to the Serbian advantage. However Ivanovic just can't land that really big punch in the opening round and reverts to her fear factor to stay on top of Vekic. The blonde girl seems a little overwhelmed by the occasion as well and settles for a late clinch to survive the brunette's repeated attacks.

Round 2:
Ivanovic keeps coming forward and lands more shots upstairs but allthough she reels Vekic into another high earmuff defense, she lacks the neccessary precision to really switch the blonde off completely. Indeed, after a wasted jabbing effort in close range Ana gets nailed to the body as the Croatian finally shows some aggression and engages in a frantic exchange that leaves the older girl a little surprised. Ivanovic misses more punches to the face, skims off the shoulders and eats a belting hook on the liver area that enables Vekic to clean out the brunette's breadbasket thereafter. Ana winces in pain yet looks more annoyed down the stretch, she shoves the blonde away from close range but leaves her feet too far behind to mount a strong response and both women see out the clock in staredown circles instead.

Round 3:
It's one way traffic early in the third as Ivanovic's aggressive nature gets the better of her and she truly wants to knock Vekic out as quickly as possible however Donna dekes around her jabbing efforts this time before launching a steady jabbing rush from the back foot. She displays the supreme precision and stacks the brunette up in the center of the ring but works on the body damage afterwards and really freezes Ana's efforts from there on. The Serbian girl struggles to soak up the pressure downstairs and it only gets worse when Donna stuffs her on the boobs before blasting a left cross on the temple for a good measure. Ana spins to the side with a loud yelp and spends the rest of the round in retreat with the Croatian blonde flying in with more aerial assault and catching her subdued rival with a nasty hook on the nose right at the bell.

Round 4:
This is a very encouraging performance from the blonde underdog who finally settles into a frontal attack and shows the Serbian no respect whatsoever. Ivanovic gets dragged into a proper mid range slugfest and simply comes out second best when the Croatian scythes her across the lips and whips on her heels. Donna leans on the front (leg) leg and bombs away over the top now that she has the brunette rattled and Ana's jabbing response barely grazes the flesh while another brutal hooks nails her on the chin and sinks on jelly knees along the ropes. There's no escape from there as Vekic traps her under a high-tempo barrage and lands more body shots that bend Ana into painful spasms before a late hook on the temple wrenches her against the turnbuckle to complete the Croatioan rout.

Round 5:
Ana reverts into survival mode and it's obvious she really felt that Vekic leather blast during the past several minutes however the younger girl follows the only possible plan at this stage of the bout and keeps harrassing her aching foe with more high-octane aggression that dissects the Serbian guard repeatedly thereafter. Ivanovic's defense was never of the highest standard and when she's shut down on offense she just looks terrible out there; Donna takes full advantage of that and pummels her back to the ropes before another body assault bends the brunette into another spasming disarray. This only fuels the blonde's determination to wreck the Serbian fort and Ana has no answers, she slumps against the youngster's torso and allows Vekic to drill her guts senseless. The bell eventually comes to her rescue but Ana finds it hard to breathe and drops on her stool with eyes closed looking utterly spend here already.

Round 6:
Donna's eyes glare with disdain ahead of the sixth and she romps into another body assault that exposes Ana's subpar defense. Just too much Croatian wrath for the aching Serbian to handle and Vekic pounds her foe butt-in-ropes before moving upstairs and whacking the slumped brunette on the chin. A nasty hooking follow up slams Ivanovic on the temple for a good measure and the former WTA leader simply gives up the ghost under such a power supply. She drops her guard allltogether so Vekic signs off a terrific boxing debut with a brutal hook on the nose THAT CHOPS ANA FACE-DOWN ON THE CANVAS... and there's no way back from that kind of a shot anymore with Ivanovic living on borrowed life already. KO6 Donna Vekic!!!

AFTER: Donna has all the tools to become the next WTA pin-up girl and challenge Eugenie Bouchard for the big money endorsements however she needs to focus on her sporting career rather than make the tabloid headlines instead. She caught a slumping Ivanovic tonight and took full advantage of the Serbian's woeful defense yet this is only the first step on her road towards ultimate top of the pecking order.

Meanwhile things look extremely bleak for Ana who may never win another tournament again and with her new married life on the horizon one has to question how long will she continue in this shape? She turns 29 this November and seemingly doesn't enjoy the courts anymore. The once so formidable Serbian duo of Ivanovic & Jelena Jankovic is very much in decline with no immediate heirs to the throne available. Thankfully one Novak Djokovic still keeps the national boat afloat on the men's side but it's a small consolation for the legions of Ivanovic fans around the world.

Final result: Donna Vekic def. Ana Ivanovic KO6.