Kanepi defeated in three sets despite superb start
Kaia Kanepi, having already dropped one top-20 player out of the Brisbane International, had the ideal start against Ana Ivanovic, currently seventh in the world and a former no. 1, taking a 5-0 lead in the first set.
Estonia's top tennis player (WTA 52) did win the set, but only by a small margin as Ivanovic battled back to 5-4, winning four games in a row.
Ivanovic continued her rebound, taking 2-0 and 4-1 leads, before Kanepi closed in to make it 4-5. Both players struggled with their serves, with Kanepi losing four out of five game serves. The Serbian won the set 6-4 and also took the third set despite valiant efforts by Kanepi, 6-3.
Kanepi won the tournament in 2012.