NEW YORK: World number two Jelena Jankovic struggled but held on to beat Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5 in the second round of the 20.6 million dollar US Open yesterday.The 23-year-old Serbian has reached two semi-finals in Grand Slams this year (French Open and Australian Open) but has never made it to a final in 20 career major appearances.
Jankovic has six career singles titles but just one victory to show for her consistent play. Pesky Swede Arvidsson made Jankovic work for Wednesday's win.
"It was really tough. I am completely out of breath," second-seeded Jankovic said immediately after the two-hour, 45-minute match.
Jankovic, of Serbia, moves through to the third round where she will face China's Zheng Jie who beat Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 6-1, 6-4 yesterday. Zheng reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon earlier this year.
Beijing Olympic gold medallist Elena Dementieva beat Pauline Parmentier of France 6-2, 6-1.
Russia's Dementieva, who is ranked sixth in the world, moved through to the third round where she will face Great Britain's Anne Keothavong who surprised 25th seeded Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
Another Olympian Vera Zvonareva, of Russia, was sent crashing out of the event, losing her second round match 6-3, 6-3 to unseeded Tatiana Perebiynis.
Switzerland's Patty Schnyder beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-3, 6-3.
For the 23-year-old Zvonareva this is the first time she hasn't made it to at least the third round in her sixth US Open appearance. Zvonareva, who is seeded eighth, collected her sixth career title earlier this year before winning the women's singles bronze at the Beijing Olympics.
Zvonareva was in the same side of the draw as Jankovic and Lindsay Davenport who was scheduled to take the court later in the evening.
US Open Results
(x denotes seed):
Women
2nd rd: Jelena Jankovic (SER x2) bt Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) 6-3 6-7(5) 7-5; Elena Dementieva (RUS x5) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-2 6-1; Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x3) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROM) 7-6 (7/3), 6-1; Patty Schnyder (SUI x15) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 6-3, 6-3; Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) bt Tamira Paszek (AUT) 6-1, 6-2; Li Na (CHN) bt Sara Errani (ITA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0; Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) bt Ekaterina Bychkova (RUS) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
1st round: Nadia Petrova (RUS x19) bt Olivia Sanchez (FRA) 6-2, 6-4; Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) bt Virginie Razzano (FRA x31) 6-4, 6-1; Serena Williams (USA x4) bt Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 6-1, 6-4; Nicole Vaidisova (CZE x20) bt Petra Cetkovska (CZE) 6-1, 6-2; Jessica Moore (AUS) bt Melanie Oudin (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5); Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) bt Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x18) bt Jill Craybas (USA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4); Sabine Lisicki (GER) bt Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) 6-3, 6-4; Riona Raluca Olaru (ROU) bt Edina Gallovits (ROU) 6-0, 6-2; Rossana de los Rios (PAR) bt Hana Smorova (CZE) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3; Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Monica Niculescu (ROM) 6-0, 6-3; Bethanie Mattek (USA) bt Marta Domachowska (POL) 6-7 (7/9), 7-5, 6-4; Alize Cornet (FRA x17) bt Camille Pin (FRA) 7-5, 6-0; Elena Vesnina (RUS) bt Julia Vakulenko (UKR) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2; Severine Bremond (FRA) bt Julia Goerges (GER) 7-6 (7/0), 6-4; Alona Bondarenko (UKR x27) bt Jamea Jackson (USA) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; Venus Williams (USA x7) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-2, 6-3; Amelie Mauresmo (FRA x32) bt Nathalie Dechy (FRA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Men
1st rd: Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x5) bt Dudi Sela (ISR) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3; Nicolas Almagro (ESP x18) bt Frank Dancevic (CAN) 6-3, 6-4, 7-5; Agustín Calleri (ARG) bt Austin Krajicek (USA) 6-2, 6-2, 6-1; Sam Warburg (USA) bt Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 6-2, 1-0 retired; Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) 6-3, 6-0, 6-3; Tommy Haas (GER) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA x12), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2; Andreas Seppi (ITA x31) bt Lee Hyung-taik (KOR) 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 3-6, 6-3; Fernando Gonzalez (CHI x11) bt Ivan Navarro (ESP) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5); Rui Machado (POR) bt Rik De Voest (RSA) 6-4, 7-6 (9/7), 6-1; Igor Andreev (RUS x23) bt Marc Gicquel (FRA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-4; Thiago Alves (BRA) bt Paul Capdeville (CHI) 4-6, 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4; Mardy Fish (USA) bt Robert Smeets (AUS) 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-4; Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA x24) bt Sebastien Grosjean (FRA) 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-2; Ivo Minar (CZE) bt Nicolas Kiefer (GER x20) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 4-1; Bobby Reynolds (USA) bt Tomas Zib (CZE) 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
