Ana Ivanovic has been eliminated from the Aegon Classic in Birmingham after suffering a surprise defeat to Michelle Larcher de Brito.
The second seed had been hoping to build on the form that had taken her to the French Open quarter-finals, but it was the Portuguese who came through by a 6-4 3-6 7-6(6) scoreline.
Ivanovic started the contest slowly and soon found herself a break behind, and although she improved, De Brito was able to strike again to seal the first set.
The former world number one controlled the second, allowing her opponent just four return points, but the decider went the way of the 22-year-old qualifier, who won a tie-break 8-6 to earn her place in the last 16.
Written by
Darren Plant
Darren Plant
