The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Jankovic in last eight; Ivanovic shocked

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Jankovic in last eight; Ivanovic shocked

— Photo: Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

INSPIRED SHOW: Agnieszka Radwanska sent Ana Ivanovic packing from the Italian Open on Wednesday.

ROME: French Open champion Ana Ivanovic was upset by Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 on Wednesday in the third round of the Italian Open, while defending champion Jelena Jankovic reached the quarterfinals when her opponent retired with an illness.

The fifth-seeded Ivanovic started off poorly and couldn’t hold serve in the first set. But the Serb began dictating play with precise groundstrokes in the second, and appeared headed toward victory as she jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the decisive set.

But the 10th-seeded Radwanska staged a comeback and won the last six games, ending the match with one of her 19 winners.

Jankovic, the third seed, took the first set 6-1, and was 1-0 in the second when Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine called for the trainer and then pulled out after 35 minutes, citing illness. Jankovic played aggressively throughout the first set, firing winners from both sides of the court and often rushing the net.

The 24-year-old Serb has won the Italian Open for the past two years and is looking to regain best form after a slump at the start of the year.

She next plays Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova, who ousted crowd favourite Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 in a little less that two hours.

In an early match sixth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus thrashed ninth seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-2.

Kohlschreiber exits

At Munich, former champion and local hero Philipp Kohlschreiber made a second round exit from Munich’s ATP tournament when he was defeated 6-0, 6-4 by second seed Marin Cilic.

The 25-year-old Kohlschreiber, 41st in the world, won his maiden ATP World Tour title here two years ago, but having been steamrollered in the first set, he put up only marginal resistance to lose the second in 77 minutes.

Important results:

At Estoril (Estoril Open): Men: Second round: Paul Capdeville bt Massimo Gonzalez 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.

First round: James Blake bt Federico Gil 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; Fabio Fognini bt Gaston Gaudio 6-3, 6-4.

Women: Second round: Jarmila Groth bt Iveta Benesova 7-5, 6-4; Sorana Cirstea bt Maret Ani 7-5, 6-2; Sabine Lisicki bt Elena Bovina 6-4, 7-5; Anna-Lena Groenefeld bt Kristina Barrois 6-4, 6-4; Yanina Wickmayer bt Olga Govortsova 0-6, 6-2, 6-2; Shahar Peer bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-1.

At Rome (WTA Italian Open): Third round: Jelena Jankovic bt Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1, 1-0 retired; Victoria Azarenka bt Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-2; Svetlana Kuznetsova bt Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; Agnieszka Radwanska bt Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 3-6, 6-4; Kaia Kanepi bt Patty Schnyder 6-3, 6-0; Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez bt Nadia Petrova 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4; Dinara Safina bt Zheng Jie 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(3).

At Munich (BMW Open): Second round: Mikhail Youzhny bt Nicolas Almagro 7-6(2), 6-4; Paul-Henri Mathieu bt Denis Gremelmayr 6-1, 6-4; Marin Cilic bt Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-0, 6-4.

First round: Lleyton Hewitt bt Philipp Petzschner 6-2, 6-7(2), 7-6(8).

At Belgrade (Serbia Open): Second round: Lukas Kubot bt Igor Andreev 3-2 retired; Kristof Vliegen bt Christophe Rochus 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

First round: Flavio Cipolla bt Marcos Baghdatis 1-6, 6-3, 6-1; Brian Dabul bt Nicolas Massu 6-2, 6-1; Leonardo Mayer bt Wayne Odesnik 6-3, 6-2. — Agencies

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