Radwanska out but Jankovic survives on day five in Paris
Eighth seed Agnieszka Radwanska has tumbled out of the French Open in the second round, with world No. 36 Yaroslava Shvedova inflicting a 7-5, 6-3 defeat on the Pole out on court four.
Shvedova hit an impressive 40 winners and four aces for the match, compared to just 15 winners that came off Radwanska’s racquet, to move into the third round in one hour and 28 minutes.
Jelena Jankovic was faced with the possibility of suffering a similar fate in her match against Kaia Kanepi on centre court after dropping the second set to the Estonian. The fourth seed eventually outlasted her opponent to take a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory to ensure her hopes of a maiden Grand Slam title remain intact.
“I thought that I played pretty well in the first set, even though the conditions were much more different than in the first round when I played, because the court was much slower, the balls were heavier. So overall the play was much, much slower,” Jankovic said after the match.
“In the second set my opponent played much better. She made a lot more first serves. You know, I decided to back up and I didn't really do what I was supposed to do. Then when we had a break in the third, I thought, you know, I have to play more aggressively. I have to go for my shots a little more...play offensively and try to win. That's what I did.”
Also through to the third round is fifth seed Elena Dementieva, who after winning the first set against Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2 was pushed to a tiebreak in the second, the match lasting two hours and 21 minutes.
In the first match of the day on court one, any hopes that Ana Ivanovic’s improved form as the WTA Tour hit the clay courts during the spring might translate to a competitive showing at Roland Garros were extinguished as 28th seeded Alisa Kleybanova completed a 6-3, 6-0 victory over the 2008 French Open champion in the second round.
Thirty-nine year old Kimiko Date Krumm, who hobbled off the court after defeating last year’s runner-up Dinara Safina in the first round, was unable to continue her winning run against Australian wildcard Jarmila Groth, who has now reached the third round at Roland Garros for the second successive year.
Groth wasn’t the only Australian to move through to the third round on day five, with Anastasia Rodionova ending the French Open hopes of 21st seed Vera Zvonareva with a 6-4, 6-4 victory out on court 16.
“I think she played a good match. I think I was just very inconsistent,” Zvonareva told reporters after her second round loss. “I was not able to play my game, so I let her dominate a lot. Then every time I would try to play my game I had just too many unforced errors.”
Australian Open semi-finalist Na Li was another to complete her match on day five, the 11th seed ousting France’s Stephanie Cohen-Aloro in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Francesca Schiavone, seeded 17th in Paris, moved through to the third round with an identical scoreline against Australia’s Sophie Ferguson.
Israel’s Shahar Peer, seeded 18th in Paris, also moves through to the round of 32 after coming from behind to record a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory over the USA’s Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
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