The tennis season is over for Jelena Jankovic as she lost to world No.175 Ekaterina Ivanova in the first round of the Premier-level Kremlin Cup in Moscow, the tournament she won in her golden 2008.
There are only two tournaments left this season, for both of which players qualify by their season results, and the 13th-ranked Jankovic will play neither of them, finishing the year without WTA titles. Last year Jankovic qualified for the WTA Championships, but lost all three of her matches.
The 6-4 1-6 6-4 victory over Jankovic in the first round of Moscow is qualifier Ivanova’s first Top 50 victory and only her second win in a WTA main draw this year. The 23-year-old will next play the winner of the Alla Kudryavtseva vs. Elena Vesnina encounter. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)
As this season is finished, I hope Jelena will sit down and think about her further carrier. This was one really, really disappointing season, and she isn’t playing like she should for almost year and a half. She isn’t playing so badly, but her lack of motivation is really worrying.