Jankovic advances
NEW YORK – Jelena Jankovic lost so many matches in a row this year, she lost count. But she’d taken enough stats classes in college to figure this: It was probably time to quit tennis and go back to school in Belgrade.
On Tuesday, Jankovic graduated – to her first Grand Slam semifinal, that is – by taking away No. 4 Elena Dementieva’s serve and coasting 6-2, 6-1 at the U.S. Open.
“I cannot believe that I won in two sets,” Jankovic said. “What was the score? I don’t even know the total score.”
Shortly after she finished, rain began and the other daytime singles matches were postponed until Wednesday. Seventh-seeded Nikolay Davydenko led No. 17 Andy Murray 6-1, 5-7, 6-3; 2000 U.S. Open champion Marat Safin led Tommy Haas 2-1; and No. 5 James Blake had not started against Tomas Berdych.
The night matches – No. 1 Roger Federer vs. Marc Gicquel, and No. 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne vs. No. 10 Lindsay Davenport – stayed on the schedule, although the forecast was not encouraging.
Steady drizzle did not dampen Jankovic’s day. The 19th-seeded Serbian became the first player to reach this year’s semifinals at Flushing Meadows, and will face the Davenport-Henin-Hardenne winner.
The 21-year-old Jankovic posted the biggest victory of her career, winning every game when Dementieva served.
Earlier this year, Jankovic wasn’t winning anything. She lost in the second round of the Australian Open, then dropped her opening match at the next nine events – 10 consecutive defeats in all.
“Ten losses in a row, nine losses – how many, I don’t know,” she said. “It was terrible. I don’t know what was wrong with me. I didn’t have the will to practice, didn’t want to play.”
“It was something that I never felt before, and I almost quit playing tennis,” Jankovic said. “I just wanted to go and study.”
Then she got a visit from her mom at a tournament in Rome.
“She would always give me support and tell me I can do it, I have the potential,” she said. “Since then, I won like 30-something matches out of 40. It’s been amazing.”