Jankovic through after Dementieva quits
MIAMI, Florida — Fourth seed Jelena Jankovic booked a semifinal place at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne after Russian Elena Dementieva retired while trailing in the second set of their quarterfinal clash.
Jankovic led 6-1 3-1 when 10th seed Dementieva, battling an apparent back injury for which she received treatment after the first set, decided she could not continue.
Serb Jankovic, who had saved five match points in her battling second-round victory over Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson, will now face the winner of the final quarterfinal between Russian duo Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonareva.
Jankovic’s shortened quarterfinal echoed her experience at Indian Wells, where she reached the semifinals when American Lindsay Davenport retired from their contest with a back injury.
However, she is still seeking to make her first final of 2008 having lost in the final four at the Australian Open, Dubai and Indian Wells tournaments this year. E-mail to a friend
