By Greg Stutchbury
MELBOURNE, Jan 22 - Written off, recovering from
surgery and seemingly perpetually injured, Jelena Jankovic
avenged last year's defeat and knocked champion Serena Williams
out of the Australian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday.
The third-seed, who had to save three match points in the
first round against Tamira Paszek and then struggled against
Romania's Edina Gallovits in the second, beat a sluggish
Williams 6-3 6-4 to advance to her first Australian Open
semi-final.
"Defeating a defending champion and a champion like Serena
is something that doesn't happen every day," a beaming Jankovic
told reporters immediately after the match.
"But here it is very special, because last year actually in
this tournament in the fourth round I lost to her. Now, getting
revenge it feels so good.
"I'm so happy to be in the semi-final, having no
expectations, having injuries, and not really thinking that I
can go far.
"But I just played one match at a time, and I really don't
know how I'm doing, but I'm in the semis, and it feels great."
Her run to the semi-finals, despite her ranking, could be
considered unexpected considering she has a long catalogue of
injuries.
"WOUNDED ANIMAL"
"I cannot give you all the details, because if I would
begin I would never stop," the 22-year-old joked.
For the record, she had nasal surgery last November to
correct breathing problems, sustained a leg injury at the
Hopman Cup in Perth and has complained of shoulder and back
pain at Melbourne Park.
She also had to have treatment on her left thigh during
Tuesday's 99-minute match.
"I felt a sharp pain in my quad, and it was like a knife
went in my leg. It was really painful," she said.
"I thought, 'Oh, my God, again, another one? I'm kind of
sick of all these injuries'.
"I want to be healthy and I want to play without any pains.
But when I have pain I focus more ... and I am doing well."
Jankovic, who will meet either Maria Sharapova or Justine
Henin in the semi-finals, also said that due to her low-key
performances against Paszek and Gallovits, people had been
writing off her chances.
"I've been going into matches and people have been saying
other girls are the favourite. All these other girls who I
played had the advantage over me for some reason.
"But I'm like a wounded animal, I still keep going.
"The most important thing is that I fight on the court, and
I always give my best and I never give up.
"Those are the qualities that got me through the
semi-final."
(Editing by Ossian Shine)