CHARLESTON, SC, USA - Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina did what fellow Top 4 seeds Nicole Vaidisova and Serena Williams weren't able to do the day before, as the second round came to a close at the $1.34-million Family Circle Cup on Wednesday.
Seeded No.2 and No.4, Jankovic and Safina were able to avoid the upset bug at the Tier I event, moving into the last 16 with straight set wins. Safina was the first to advance, beating Greece's Eleni Daniilidou earlier in the day, 63 64; Jankovic followed with a 61 61 win over Russia's Anastassia Rodionova.
"I thought I played quite well for my first round, especially because it started to rain a little bit, and it was a little bit slippery," Jankovic said afterwards. "So it was good I finished pretty quickly. I did my best and I'm in the third round now."
Jankovic has never gone particularly far in Charleston but she has played well. She was a first round loser in 2005 - to eventual champion Justine Henin in three sets; she was also sent home in the second round the year before - to Lindsay Davenport. It is her first time coming here as a Top 10 player so a more helpful draw could be of benefit. The Serb says she is taking things a match at a time.
"I want to play one match at a time and concentrate on myself. I don't focus on the other players and how they are doing. Whenever I go on court I just want to play my match and see how it goes. It's a friendly crowd, and I enjoy my time playing here. It's a relaxing atmosphere, and for me and it's just great."
Next up for Jankovic, who is now the highest seed left in the draw, is No.16 seed Mara Santangelo, who rallied past American wildcard Ashley Harkleroad, 26 75 62. In their most recent meeting, just a few weeks ago at Miami, Santangelo took home her first career Top 10 victory, rallying back from a 62 52 deficit to prevail in three sets. Their head-to-head series currently sits at 1-1.
Safina will face Lourdes Domínguez Lino, who beat No.13 seed Marion Bartoli, also on Wednesday, 63 62. The Russian and the Spaniard have never played.
On Tuesday, Vaidisova and Williams were both bundled out of the tournament; the top seed, Vaidisova was ousted in three sets by Michaella Krajicek, while Williams, the No.3 seed, retired due to a groin strain against Chan Yung-Jan.
Peer, Schnyder ousted; Venus continues march toward second title
While Jankovic and Safina were embracing straight set wins, No.5-seeded Shahar Peer and No.6-seeded Patty Schnyder were succumbing to two of China's stars.
Having come off impressive showings at back-to-back American hardcourt stops Indian Wells and Miami, Peer's 62 63 loss to Zheng Jie was stunning, particularly due to its ease; nonetheless, Zheng emerged with her sixth career Top 20 win. Schnyder, one of this event's most successful players, continued to struggle with a 16 63 63 defeat to Peng Shuai. Read more about that match here.
Other players reaching the last 16 on Wednesday were No.7 seed Ana Ivanovic, No.9 seed Vera Zvonareva, No.10 seed Tatiana Golovin, Anabel Medina Garrigues (who beat No.11 seed Francesca Schiavone), No.12 seed Katarina Srebotnik, No.15 seed Sybille Bammer and Venus Williams, who beat Vasilisa Bardina 62 61.
"She generates a lot of speed and pace when she has the opportunity so it was about adding some spin, giving her less opportunities to take control," Williams said. "I feel more comfortable when I'm in control, which is the way I play."
Williams, who just missed out on being seeded, feels she has what it takes to claim the title she first won in 2004 in her debut appearance. And with a potential round of 16 clash with sister Serena out of the picture, that could be more likely.
"The rounds are passing by nicely. I've got the third round, then the quarterfinals, but it's just really vital to stay focused on each round because nothing is a given. I'd like it to be a given but no one is giving. I definitely feel my game is coming around, though. I'm playing good tennis."
Two of the seeded players, Ivanovic and Srebotnik, both faced extremely tough resistance in clinching their second round victories. Ivanovic squandered a match point at 6-5 in the second set against Gisela Dulko before prevailing, 60 67(5) 64, while it was third set drama in the duel between Srebotnik and Aravane Rezai, with the Slovenian finally notching a 76(3) 36 75 win on her ninth match point.
No.8 seed Li Na made her way into the third round on Tuesday.
All eight third round matches take the court on Thursday. (WTA)
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