Jankovic sets up semi clash with Venus
Sunday, 5 October 2008
STUTTGART, Germany, Oct 4 (AFP): Jelena Jankovic, set to regain the world number one slot next week, defeated Vera Zvonareva in the quarter-finals of Stuttgart's WTA event Friday to book a semi-final with Venus Williams.
Jankovic held her nerve to win 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/5) as Zvonareva - the bronze medal winner at the Beijing Olympic Games - produced some dogged resistance.
"That was a hard game, but I am pleased to be in the semi-finals," said Jankovic, who will regain the world's top ranking after Serena Williams lost here in the second round.
"It's a great accomplishment to be world number one and I don't know anyone who is not happy about being the best in the world at something. But the competition is still fierce and you have to keep winning."
Jankovic had to work hard for everything in the first set which took exactly an hour and the Serb star had to break back the Russian to force the tie-break.
Both players showed their frustration at missed opportunities, but the Serb star found a weakness in Zvonareva's game and used the lob shot to devastating effect.
The Russian made her frustration work for her by storming into a 2-0 lead early in the second, but Jankovic kept applying the pressure to eventually take the second on a tie-break.
Earlier Venus Williams admits she feels the lure of the brand-new sports car on offer for the winner after her quarter-final win over Dinara Safina.
Sixth-seed Williams needed a little over an hour to beat the third seeded Russian 6-4, 6-2.
Williams admitted the prize of a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabrio, worth 98,500 dollars, is a tempting target as she bids to win Sunday's final.
"I love fast cars, I am hoping to win one here and take it for a drive after Sunday," she admitted.
The first set was a tight affair as Olympic silver medallist Safina matched Williams' powerful service game.
More news from Moscow adds: World number one Serena Williams has blamed a knee injury for her decision to pull out of next week's 2.4 million dollar Kremlin Cup.
"I was experiencing knee problems since the US Open and now I need a break to regain my top form," the American star told organisers of the joint ATP and WTA event Friday.
She added: "I played a lot of events this year and now I need a break to recover. My aim this year is to regain the world's top ranking. I played in the final here last year and will now lose a lot of points.
Jankovic held her nerve to win 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/5) as Zvonareva - the bronze medal winner at the Beijing Olympic Games - produced some dogged resistance.
"That was a hard game, but I am pleased to be in the semi-finals," said Jankovic, who will regain the world's top ranking after Serena Williams lost here in the second round.
"It's a great accomplishment to be world number one and I don't know anyone who is not happy about being the best in the world at something. But the competition is still fierce and you have to keep winning."
Jankovic had to work hard for everything in the first set which took exactly an hour and the Serb star had to break back the Russian to force the tie-break.
Both players showed their frustration at missed opportunities, but the Serb star found a weakness in Zvonareva's game and used the lob shot to devastating effect.
The Russian made her frustration work for her by storming into a 2-0 lead early in the second, but Jankovic kept applying the pressure to eventually take the second on a tie-break.
Earlier Venus Williams admits she feels the lure of the brand-new sports car on offer for the winner after her quarter-final win over Dinara Safina.
Sixth-seed Williams needed a little over an hour to beat the third seeded Russian 6-4, 6-2.
Williams admitted the prize of a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabrio, worth 98,500 dollars, is a tempting target as she bids to win Sunday's final.
"I love fast cars, I am hoping to win one here and take it for a drive after Sunday," she admitted.
The first set was a tight affair as Olympic silver medallist Safina matched Williams' powerful service game.
More news from Moscow adds: World number one Serena Williams has blamed a knee injury for her decision to pull out of next week's 2.4 million dollar Kremlin Cup.
"I was experiencing knee problems since the US Open and now I need a break to regain my top form," the American star told organisers of the joint ATP and WTA event Friday.
She added: "I played a lot of events this year and now I need a break to recover. My aim this year is to regain the world's top ranking. I played in the final here last year and will now lose a lot of points.