Jankovic Survives Another US Open Scare

by: Brian Bohl | Senior Writer - NY Sports Day | Thursday, August 28, 2008



FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY — Sofia Arvidsson nearly pulled the first major upset at the U.S. Open, taking No. 2 Jelena Jankovic to the brink of elimination before the heavily favored Serb secured a 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 second round victory under the warm mid-afternoon sky on Wednesday.

Arvidsson, who entered the tournament ranked 63, slowly earned the admiration from an Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd that started pro-Jankovic. After looking overmatched in the first set, the 24-year-old Arvidsson roared back from a 5-3 deficit in the second, forging a 22-10 edge in winners while posting 20 net points compared to Jankovich’s eight.

Arvidsson continually played from behind, going down 3-0 in the second-set tiebreaker before rallying for six straight points, helping extending the match to a final set. When Jankovic took the first three games, Arvidsson kept the crowds from visiting the grandstands by battling back to make it a nail-biter. Arvidsson’s 54 unforced errors curtailed her upset bid.

“We were both really tired. I think where I lost it is the first three games of the third set,” said Arvidsson, who is playing in her third U.S. Open. “I was down all the time, but I felt I could win it. I wasn’t serving well in the first set and it made a big difference.”

But Jankovic, who is looking to qualify for her first championship appearance in a Grand Slam event, was able to advance to the third round thanks to her first two aces of the match in the decisive third set.

The 23-year-old second-seed also ratcheted the drama by constantly bending over in between points because of cramps in her legs; something Arvidsson criticized in her post-match remarks.

“She’s always complaining about something,” Arvidsson said. “She’s so good anyway, but I knew she was going to start to complain when she’s down.”

Arvidsson also claimed Jankovic still served despite a hand signal indicating she wasn’t ready. The poor sportsmanship charges also included a complain that Jankovic when she sprawled to the pavement and stayed there for 30 seconds following a long third-set point.

“I was just tired and I couldn’t get up,” Jankovic said. “That was the reason I was lying there without moving. I was just trying to come back to the normal position where I can just stand up and regroup again.

“I have no problem with her whatsoever,” she continued. “If she’s angry at me for going down, if she’s angry because I didn’t see her lifting her arm…you can keep going with all these things that happen in the match. But all of the players; we all try our best to win the match. And a win is the most important thing.”

Stadium radar guns clocked Jankovic’s first serve as consistently in the 100 mph-rage She struggled to generate points off her second serve, converting just 29 percent of her second serves into points.

Like all majors, the U.S. Open’s first week is customary filled with surprises victories. Yet Jankovic avoided becoming the first big-name to get bounced from the tournament. After losing in the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open last year, the former women’s singles No. 1 player is looking to cap her best season yet. She advanced to the semi finals in both the Australian and French Opens before losing in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Born in Belgrade but raised in Bradenton, Fla., Jankovic carried a 44-14 this season into the U.S. Open. Before becoming the new face of women’s tennis, she said her success needs to translate to results in the big tournaments. A deep run in New York will also give Jankovic the chance to reclaim the world’s top ranking.

“I was No. 1 in the world. By doing that, I achieved one huge goal in my career,” she said. “I would love to come back to that position, but in order to do that… I need to lift the level of my tennis and try to play a lot better.”