Top seed Ana Ivanovic survived two match points, one of them an agonisingly close net cord, before finally beating France's [Images] Nathalie Dechy 6-7, 7-6, 10-8 in a second round thriller at Wimbledon on Wednesday.

- Images from Day 3

The Serbian new world number one, fresh from her triumph in the French Open, often looked tentative but survived through sheer persistence to land the narrowest of victories in a scrappy match.

Ivanovic confessed that her heart missed a beat when she survived one match point on a net cord. "I couldn't believe it, I was so lucky," she said after her three hour 24 minute match.

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"It was really, really close and only a few balls decided it," she told BBC television.

The pair were deservedly given a standing ovation after their seesaw battle of nerves and the 20-year-old Ivanovic said: "I was really happy I managed to stay calm...It was an amazing match."

In the first set, Ivanovic dropped two points as she sailed into a 3-0 lead. But then she lost her serve twice and Dechy seized the initiative, capturing the tiebreak 7-2.

It was a superb never-say-die performance by the 29-year-old who is ranked 97 in the world.

In the second set, Ivanovic looked to be back in control and had three break points for a 4-1 lead. Dechy, refusing to be denied, levelled the match and had two match points at 5-4. But Ivanovic fought back to land the tiebreak 7-3.

In a nerve-tingling final set, Ivanovic swept into a 4-2 lead. But Dechy clawed her way back to 5-5 and then survived two match points at 6-5 before finally succumbing 10-8.

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