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Jankovic stuns Serena to reach Rome final

Jelena Jankovic continued her impressive form in Rome © Getty Images

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Jelena Jankovic produced a stubborn performance to knock top seed Serena Williams out of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome.

In a match lasting over two-and-a-half hours, Jankovic produced an astonishing fightback from match point down to book her place in the final with a 4-6 6-3 7-6(5) victory.

Williams, playing in her first tournament since the Australian Open in January, struggled with her serve, hitting nine double faults as she was broken on seven occasions by her opponent. But in a match in which the momentum swung back and forth between the players, Williams looked to be on course to reach the final.

After suffering three service breaks on the way to losing the first set, Jankovic was able to settle into her serve, increasing her first service percentage to over 80 percent and refused to allow Williams a single break point opportunity as she levelled the match.

Three times Williams carved out a lead in the deciding set, but she was pegged back by a determined Jankovic, who dug deep as the 2002 champion twice served for the match to force the encounter to a tie-break.

Leading 5-3 in the tie-breaker, the world No. 1 was poised to take the match, but in astonishing final flurry, Jankovic won four points on the bounce to win an intriguing contest.

But it was not to be an all-Serbian final for the first time on the tour after former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic lost in straight sets to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. The former French Open champion had not dropped a set as she stormed to the semi-finals, but early breaks for the Spaniard in both sets proved to be decisive as Martinez Sanchez booked her place in the final with a 6-4 6-2 victory.

At the Estoril Open, Anastasija Sevastova is on the verge of claiming her first WTA Tour title after she overcame No.7 seed Shuai Peng in the semi-final. World No. 74 Sevastova sealed a 6-7(6) 6-1 6-3 victory in a shade over two hours to set up a final against Arantxa Parra Santonja, who knocked out Sorana Cirstea.

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