Football
Reuters 16y

UPDATE 1-Tennis-Open-Serena bundled out by Jankovic

By Greg Stutchbury

MELBOURNE, Jan 22 - Champion Serena Williams was
unceremoniously bundled out of the Australian Open
quarter-finals by third-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic on Tuesday.

Williams had been seeking to become the first women's
champion to defend her Australian title since Jennifer Capriati
in 2002.

"It was an unbelievable match and I'm still shaking,"
Jankovic said in a courtside interview after the 6-3 6-4
victory.

"I'm really so happy to be in the semis for the first time
in Australia. I came here with no expectations and it is
amazing to beat the defending champion.

"It doesn't happen every day."

A sluggish Williams, who was unseeded when she won the
tournament last year, broke the world number four in the second
game of the opening quarter-final on Rod Laver Arena but then
went to pieces.

Jankovic broke back immediately and held to level the score
at 2-2 and the pair then engaged in a tit-for-tat contest
achieving break points only for their opponent to battle back.

Both had seven opportunites each in the first set, but the
seventh-seeded Williams was unable to convert any after the
initial break while Jankovic took three of hers to win the
first set 6-3 on Williams's service.

BLUDGEON SHOTS

Jankovic then jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second set,
before the pair again engaged in breaking each other's serve.

Williams finally held at 3-3 after a game that involved six
deuce points before Jankovic held in the next game after a
struggle that again ebbed between deuce and advantange points.

Jankovic had the opportunity to serve for the match at 5-3
up only for Williams to bludgeon shots from all parts of the
court and break back.

The drama, however, was not finished with Jankovic battling
back from 40-15 down on Williams's serve to snatch the match in
99 minutes when Willams's groundstroke sailed wide.

She will now meet the winner of the quarter-final between
world number one Justine Henin and fifth-seed Maria Sharapova,
who play later on Tuesday.

(Editing by Ossian Shine)

^ Back to Top ^