Jelena Jankovic storms into semi-finals of Qatar Ladies Open 2011
Number five seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia thrashed Klara Zakopalova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-4 to make a place in the semi-finals of the ongoing Qatar Ladies Open 2011 on Thursday.
After the win, Jankovic said, “I just focused on my game and my tennis and I'm glad I was able to win today. I feel really good about my game lately. I've had some pretty good wins. I've played some really good tennis so I look forward to playing in the
semi-finals. I'll try my best and hopefully I can play well.”
Jankovic will now face Russia’s Vera Zvonareva in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Zvonareva earlier beat Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova in the quarterfinal match of their draw to proceed to the semis. The Russian took the first set 7-5 but lost the second set 6-7. In a fiercely fought third set, Zvonareva came out on top and took the match
after winning the third set 7-5.
After being upset to have been knocked out of the tournament, Hantuchova said, “I'm disappointed to lose as I had so many chances. You never want to lose matches like this. I felt like I got on top of her but she still found a way to take it. I beat her
in Pattaya, but she's No.3 in the world for a reason. It's matches like this she finds a way to win.”
Additionally, as Jankovic and Zvonareva battle it out for a place in the Championship final, world number one Caroline Wozniacki will face Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in the semi-final of their draw to book a place in the final of the tournament.
Qatar Ladies Open is a Women Tennis Association Tour tournament and it is held in Doha every year. It debuted in 2001 as a Tier 3 tournament. Since then, it has continuously improved its rankings in the WTA classification and is now considered a Premier
Event.
The Qatar Ladies Open is being held after a gap of two years and the last time it was held in 2008, Russian star Maria Sharapova came out victorious after beating Zvonareva in a three-set battle. She won 6-1, 2-6, 6-0.