|
Jankovic halts Davenport comeback in the China tennis Open
2007-09-22
Jelena Jankovic ended the eight-match Asian win streak of Lindsay Davenport, halting the American's career comeback 6-3, 7-5 to reach the final of the China Open on Saturday. The semi-final victory provided sweet revenge for the Serb second seed, who came up short in an ill-tempered quarter-final to the 31-year-old Californian in Bali eight days ago, an event Davenport went on to win. "This time round it was a different story," said Jankovic. "I tried to play tight and move her around the court." Jankovic earned her first victory against Davenport after four defeats and now stands just one win away from her fifth title of the season. The second seed will play on Sunday against the winner from Hungarian sixth seed Agnes Szavay and China's last hope Peng Shuai, competing in a semi-final at home for the second year in succession. "I've played Peng many times and have beaten her all five times -- a very good record," said Jankovic. However Davenport will return more than satisfied to California with her three-month-old son Jagger after proving to herself this month that she still has the game to compete with the elite on the WTA. "It's been a wonderful two weeks, I've enjoyed it," she said. "This has exceeded my expectations. "But it's been so much tennis for me. Today was the first time my legs felt heavy. I couldn't move as quickly as I would have liked to." The three-time grand slam winner retired after Beijing a year ago, ready to devote time to starting a family. By the time she gave birth last June, she was ready to give her sport another try. By all accounts, her Bali title last weekend -- the 52nd of her career -- and this week in Beijing will have convinced her to return to the court. She has said she will play a final event this season in Quebec, Canada, before making a decision about whether to resume her career from early 2008. Jankovic had to fight to get the job done at the Beijing tennis centre in a second set littered with service breaks in six of the last eight games. The 22-year-old Serb finally closed out the win in 90 minutes after losing her own serve four times and breaking Davenport on six occasions. The American struck five aces but also produced four double-faults while Jankovic had three of each. Jankovic took her 70th win of a busy season after coming to Beijing only at the last minute after world number one Justine Henin withdrew ill, creating a vacancy in the field. The Serb was playing the event for the fourth time, and has already done better than her semi-final a year ago when she was beaten by France's Amelie Mauresmo.
| 
