Jelena Jankovic strains through Melinda Czink to reach the quarters – Mercury Insurance Open 2012
Former world number one, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, finally registered a much needed victory in the second round of the Mercury Insurance Open, disposing of the 94th ranked Hungarian veteran, Melinda Czink. The local crowd at the outdoor hard courts of Carlsbad, California, witnessed a fierce battle between the two contenders but it was the brilliance of the third seeded Serbian which prevailed after two hours and 14 minutes of tennis. The final score line was 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, in favour of Jankovic.
Currently holding the 19th spot in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings, Jankovic has been struggling the entire running season to get back her vintage form. She had already suffered 19 defeats this year and her title drought continues till date. She was given an early scare by Czink in the second round battle on Thursday but she brought her experience into play to turn the tables on her opponent. The third seeded Serb lost the opening set but then reeled off the next two with authority to come out as the winner.
Jankovic was victorious against the Hungarian in their prior two encounters and her latest win gave her a 3-0 lead in the all-time head-to-head series against Czink.
27-year-old Jankovic had a dismal serve first serve precision of just 52 per cent in the contest, coughing four doubles faults, but her six thudding aces frittered away this disadvantage of her. She could bag 38 out of 59 first serve points, dropping 21 of those, yet getting the better of her opponent in the end.
"There were times I was down and had a lot of break points against me, but I was able to come back and take the games," Jankovic said in her post match reviews. "Overall the serve was working well, and that stroke helped me out a lot. Some other things in my game could have been a lot better, but the most important thing is I won today, and I get another chance to play tomorrow."
Both contenders registered four break points apiece in the contest but Czink squandered numerous opportunities in the match to finish on the losing side. The Hungarian had 24 break points in the contest and she lost 20 of those priceless chances, which ultimately cause her downfall in the match.
Jankovic will take on the surprise qualifier, Yung-Jan Chan from Chinese Taipei, in the quarter-final round of the Mercury Insurance Open on Friday.
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