Serbian Rendezvous in Paris

Jelena Jankovic was in a hurry on Tuesday as she repelled Spanish qualifier Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the French Open.

The third seed has endured a rash of aches and pains over the past week and did not want to prolong her stay on Suzanne Lenglen Court longer than necessary.

"I had to be very focused, especially as I didn't know my opponent that well," Jankovic explained.

"She has come a long way from the qualifying. Getting into quarter-finals is great achievement for her, so I had to be really ready and really focused out there. I wanted to do my job the best that I could, so I'm happy to get to the semi-finals."

She will next face much stiffer opposition in the form of fellow Serbian Ana Ivanovic for a place in the final.

The pair have met six times with Ivanovic winning five of them but it will be their first meeting in a Grand Slam tournament.

"We have played many times before, and we always have tough matches," Ivanovic said of her compatriot.

"I think we have played only once on green clay and never at a Grand Slam."

"It's going to be an interesting match and at least we have one Serbian for sure in the final."

It is also certain that Maria Sharapova will lose her world No 1 ranking on Monday morning, although it's not clear yet whether it will be Ivanovic, Jankovic or Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova who will replace her at the top of the tennis tree.


(source Reuters, photo/AP Photo/Laurent Baheux+THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images via Yahoo Sports)

Via Great Tennis Photos