Sharapova, Jankovic advance

---

BIRMINGHAM : Maria Sharapova of Russia eyes the ball before playing a return during her second round match against Lillia Osterloh at the Birmingham DFS Classic women's tennis tournament here Wednesday. —Internet Photo

BIRMINGHAM, Jun 13 (AP): French Open semifinalists Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic advanced to the third round at the DFS Classic Wednesday.
Sharapova, who is trying to win her third straight title at the Wimbledon warm-up tournament, struggled early but beat American qualifier Lilia Osterloh 6-4, 6-0.
In the day's other match, Jankovic defeated Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-4, 6-1.
Both Sharapova and Jankovic lost in the semifinals last week at the French Open.
"Grass court is so different from clay and makes you use different muscles, which can be difficult at first. But I always enjoy playing on this surface," Sharapova said. "And that performance was OK."
Sharapova faced two break points in her opening service game, but recovered and eased through the second set. The second-ranked Russian will next face Tamira Paszek of Austria, who beat 13th-seeded Meilen Tu of the United States 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Jankovic, who lost to top-ranked Justine Henin in the semifinals at Roland Garros, has moved up to No. 3 in the women's rankings.
"I've shown I can beat every player in the world except Henin," the second-seeded Serb said. "I've had difficulty with her but I was close quite a few times and I think I belong at the top of the game."
Jankovic is now targeting Wimbledon, which starts June 25.
"Wimbledon is one of my favourite tournaments and I would love to play well and do well there," Jankovic said. "It's my dream to become number one and maybe if I stay healthy I will make it."