Jankovic Outlasts Venus in Charleston Thriller

CHARLESTON, SC, USA - Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams didn't drop one set in reaching the semifinals of the $1.34-million Family Circle Cup, and on Saturday the pair put on an incredible show, fighting for over two-and-a-half hours before Jankovic finally won in a third set tie-break. She will face Dinara Safina for the title Sunday afternoon.

The unseeded Williams was the first to draw blood, reeling off three consecutive games from 3-all to grab a one set lead, serving it out at love. The second set was a mirror image, with Jankovic breaking away at 3-all and also serving it out at love.

"I was down a set and a break, and I was thinking, 'What should I do? I need to change something,'" said Jankovic, who was down a break early in the second. "I started moving her and playing her forehand. Her game started breaking down; I think she got a bit nervous. I changed my game plan and just hung in there."

The third set was a dogfight from beginning to end, with the two players trading breaks in the seventh and eighth games but remaining on serve through the rest of the set, going to a heated tie-break to decide the match. Jankovic went ahead 4-2 before Williams got her own run to move ahead 5-4; but the Serb snapped the momentum just in time, evening things to 5-all and then winning two more to clinch it, 36 63 76(5). Those two points were even more symbolic: at the end of the day, Jankovic won 109 points to Williams' 107.

"It could've gone either way; it was just a few points here and there," Jankovic added. "You have to hang in there and fight for every point, that's how I did it. I had to earn it; she wouldn't give me anything. I was about to die at the end."

"The encouraging part is that if I just clean up my game some, I know I can play a lot better and win that match," Williams said. "I had a lot of opportunities, but I just didn't capitalize, and it helped her to stay in the match. But I'm getting better with every tournament, so the next tournament I'll hopefully be better."

Despite the loss, Williams was happy with her week. And rightfully so, considering it was only her fourth event of the season and she had four straight set victories.

"This has been a really good week for me. I feel like I'm definitely hitting out and I have a lot of stuff I can definitely do better, but that's every match, whether I played great or average or below average."

This run is a much difference experience for Jankovic than her first round exit a year ago. In fact, her recent results in general are essentially the opposite of a year ago; she was in the middle of a 10-match losing streak at this point last year, whereas now she is one of the hottest players on the Tour, currently weighing in at No.9 and projected to rise to No.7 with this week's run to the final.

"I was playing terribly, and I was about to quit playing tennis; now here I am in the final," Jankovic said. "I'm a different player. I'm working hard. I'm enjoying the game and having fun. I really enjoy it. That's the most important thing."

Next up for the No.2-seeded Jankovic will be No.4-seeded Safina, who reached the final when No.9 seed Vera Zvonareva retired during the second semifinal, due to a left wrist injury aggravated during her quarterfinal. Safina was leading when her Russian compatriot stopped the match, 63 01.

"Also yesterday it was really a surprise for me but I can't go on court thinking about this," said Safina, who also won her quarterfinal through an opponent's retirement; it was Tatiana Golovin's right ankle injury that ended that battle. "I just have to think about myself. I hope it's going to be a full match tomorrow."

"It started at the beginning of the tournament," said Zvonareva. "It just got really bad to the point I wasn't able to perform; I thought it was better to retire. It got to the point where there was no chance I could do anything because I couldn't hit my backhands, and at this top level of tennis, you just cannot do that."

Jankovic and Safina have played once previously, with the Serb retiring due to a thigh strain at Paris [Indoors] in 2004. Both are much different players now.

"I played nearly three hours today but I'm looking forward to the final," Jankovic said. "I just want to play my game like I've done this week, and give my best."

"She's a great, solid player, so it's going to be a tough match," Safina said. "We'll both have to go out there and fight; the stronger one is going to go through." (WTA)