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Ivanovic and Jankovic advance at French Open
2008-06-01
Nursing a sore shoulder, Jelena Jankovic won one point with broken strings, another after falling down and the last one despite blowing a big lead. Ana Ivanovic had a much easier time, winning every game. In succession, the Serbs advanced Sunday to the quarterfinals at the French Open. The No. 3-seeded Jankovic twice received treatment on her shoulder, lost four consecutive games after reaching match point and still managed to beat No. 14 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 7-6 (3). "I managed somehow to win," Jankovic said. The No. 2-seeded Ivanovic, the runner-up at Roland Garros last year, returned to the quarterfinals with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Petra Cetkovska. "It was much tougher than it probably looked," Ivanovic said. Jankovic and Ivanovic are one round from an all-Serb showdown in the semifinals. But health issues put Jankovic's prospects in doubt. She blamed her shoulder pain on a recent bout of swelling in her right forearm. "I think the other muscles are compensating, so the whole arm is a mess," Jankovic said. Leading 2-1 in the second set, she called for treatment and winced as a trainer massaged her shoulder near her neck. Some of her shots lacked their usual punch thereafter, but Jankovic built a 5-2 lead thanks to some shaky play by Radwanska. Serving in the next game, Jankovic reached match point three times but failed to hold, and Radwanska mounted a comeback. Jankovic scrambled to stay in the set. At 5-5, she slipped and fell 10 feet behind the baseline, quickly rose to remain in the rally and won the point when Radwanska pushed a backhand wide. In the next game, Jankovic floated a forehand winner cross-court after her strings popped, helping her to hold serve for 6-all. Radwanska committed five unforced errors in the tiebreaker, including an errant backhand to end a 28-stroke rally on the final point. A relieved Jankovic looked to the sky and crossed herself. "I didn't want to be here for the third set," she said, the back of her dressed still caked in clay from her spill. The first match of the day on center court was a quite a contrast, and Ivanovic was finished shortly after noon. "I played almost without mistake," she said. A finalist at the Australian Open in January, Ivanovic lost the match's first two points, then proceeded to dominate. It was the second love-love result of the women's tournament, and Ivanovic's first such victory since May 2005. She has yet to lose a set in four rounds. "I was really happy the way I performed all these matches so far," she said. "I had fun out there today. I want to keep the hard work and keep grinding on the clay." Cetkovska, ranked 77th, was playing in only her third Grand Slam tournament. "I put too much pressure on me, and I tried to do too much," Cetkovska said. "But then, of course, she played very well." Ivanovic only faced two break points, both while serving at 4-0 in the second set. She will face No. 10 Patty Schnyder or No. 27 Katarina Srebotnik -- who eliminated Serena Williams in the third round -- for a berth in the semifinals. No. 26 Flavia Pennetta, who beat Venus Williams on Friday, lost to qualifier Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 6-2. The 19-year-old Suarez Navarro is the first qualifier to reach the women's quarterfinals since Petra Mandula in 2001. "I thought the match would probably be a bit more difficult," said Suarez Navarro, making her Grand Slam debut. She'll next play Jankovic. Schnyder and Srebotnik faced off later Sunday. In men's action, three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal was to play No. 22 Fernando Verdasco. Other fourth-round matches Sunday: No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 18 Paul-Henri Mathieu, No. 19 Nicolas Almagro vs. Jeremy Chardy, and Michael Llodra vs. Ernests Gulbis.
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