Jelena Jankovic escapes an upset against Caroline Garcia in the first round – Malaysian Open 2012
Former world number one, Jelena Jankovic, was tested to her limits by the French teenager, Caroline Garcia, on her birthday in the opening round contest of the BMW Malaysian Open. It was one of the most gruelling encounters lasting
for almost three hours before the Serb sneaked past with a 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(2).
A standing ovation was given to the French contender who played her heart out. She started the match with a successful serve game but lost the early breakpoint to her opponent in the third game. She kept calm and stayed focused
on the task. Jankovic was frustrated as she was unable to find any opening to play her natural game and was restricted on the baseline.
The teen managed to earn a critical breakpoint in the 10th game and kept her chances alive for the set triumph. A tie-breaker round was enforced to decide the set. An early double mini-break for the Serb did the job
for her and she finally led the set scores 1-0.
It was an exciting start to the second set, with a swap of breakpoints at each ends. Garcia kept exerting pressure on her opponent and frustrated her a lot with her guile. She won a breakthrough in the fifth game and kept the lead
intact until the end of the set. Jankovic was furious with her performance and smacked her racquet at the court by the end of the set; that told the whole story.
The final set was a bit sloppy at the start but picked up pace as the games went by. Both players capitalized on their serves for the first six games and push the scores to 3-3. Surprisingly, the French broke her opponent’s serve
in the seventh game to take a lead of 4-3. She further enhanced the scores with a successful hold and was almost on the verge of registering a majestic upset in Kuala Lumpur.
Jankovic stayed calm and broke serve back in the 10th game to keep her chances alive. A swap of breakpoints enforced a tie-break for the second time in the match. Again the experience played its part and the Serb took
an early lead with a couple of breathtaking winners down the line. Garcia was almost exhausted by the end of the match but she was extremely happy at her performance. She is a lively character and definitely a bright prospect for France’s tennis future.
Jelena Jankovic takes on Jill Craybas in the next round.
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