Jankovic, Serena set for finals showdown

NEW YORK, Sept 6 (AFP) World No. 2 Jelena Jankovic advanced to her first Grand Slam final by defeating Elena Dementieva 6-4, 6-4 at the US Open Saturday, setting up a showdown with two-time winner Serena Williams. brI have tears in my eyes, said an emotional Jankovic. I have played in five semi- finals and to be in the final for first time in a Grand Slam is unbelievable. I'm thrilled. brJankovic had to rally in both sets of the semi-final on a windy Friday afternoon in front of a crowd of 22,892 at the main Arthur Ashe Stadium. brEight time Grand Slam winner Williams reached her first US Open final in six years, storming past Russian Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-2 in just 88 minutes. brI am finally back in the finals, Williams said. An American back in the finals. I am really excited. brThe final is scheduled for Saturday night but weather forecasters are predicting rain all day as the remnants of tropical storm Hanna move through the New York area. If that happens the final will be moved to Sunday night. brNot only will Jankovic and Williams be gunning for the 1.5 million dollars in first place prize money, but the winner will also surpass Serbian Ana Ivanovic as world number one. brJankovic finished off her semi-final by breaking Dementieva for the fifth time in the set, winning it on the second match point when the Russian hit the final ball long. brIt was windy but I really tried to fight, said Jankovic. brJankovic said she had to adjust to hitting into a headwind. brIt was hard for both of us. Especially from one side the wind was very strong. You keep hitting as hard as you can and the ball doesn't go anywhere. brFrom the other side you hit the ball and it flies. It was tough but it was the same conditions for both players. brSerbia's Jankovic won 63 percent of her first serve points and made just 22 unforced errors in the one hour, 34 minute match. brIt has taken her 20th career Grand Slam tournaments to get to the final.