2011 Sony Ericsson Open WTA Part 6:
Jelena Jankovic
World Number 7 Jelena Jankovic
Jelena Jankovic is the world’s highest-ranked Serbian player, entering the Women’s Tennis Association [WTA] ranking charts at World Number 7. The player, who resides in Dubai, has been playing tennis in a professional capacity
since 2000. She is 26 years old, and has been part of the WTA Tour circuit for over ten years. Her greatest achievement to date was her showing at the 2008 US Open, where she was ousted by former World Number 1 Serena Williams.
Jankovic, who was once ranked World Number 1 herself, has made it to the semi-finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open. She also reached the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships on four different occasions.
The Serbian pro is currently coached by former Association of Tennis Professionals [ATP] player Andre Pavel, who was once ranked in the Top 15.
The Serbian pro made her first appearance in Miami in 2001, when she was ranked World Number 477. She was unable to gain entry into the main draw, falling to Spanish pro Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the first round of the qualifying
draw. Her first real performance in the main draw of the tournament was in 2004, when she was ranked World Number 72. She defeated Luxembourg player Claudine Schaul in the first round, and faced fourteenth seed Magdalena Maleeva in the second round. Her third-round
opponent was Tatiana Golovin, who was World Number 94 at the time. Despite the low ranking, Golovin managed to upset Jankovic in three sets to win the match.
Her best performance at the Sony Ericsson Open, however, was in 2008. She was ranked World Number 3 at the time of the tournament, and received a bye in the first round of the Miami event. Her first opponent was Swedish pro Sofia
Arvidsson, whom she ousted in three sets. After this, the Serb managed to defeat Czech pro Lucie Safarova and Jie Zheng from China to make it to the quarterfinals of the tournament, against tenth seed Elena Dementieva. Jankovic managed to defeat her Russian
opponent in the first set, after which the player retired. This allowed the Serb to proceed to the semi-final against Vera Zvonareva of Russia, whom she defeated in straight sets. Jankovic had now set up a title match against Serena Williams, who was ranked
World Number 8 at that time. Williams managed to defeat the player in three sets.
This year at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, Jankovic has secured her position in the fourth round of the tournament after defeating Klara Zakopalova in straight sets with a breadstick. She has already matched her 2010 run with this
victory, although the likelihood of her making it to the quarterfinals of the tournament is questionable.
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