Svetlana Kuznetsova overcomes Zheng Jie to reach China Open final

Svetlana Kuznetsova at China OpenSvetlana Kuznetsova beat Zheng Jie in a tight two-setter to set up a clash with top seed Jelena Jankovic in the final of the $600,000 China Open in Beijing.

The Russian fourth seed, last week's runner-up in Tokyo, defeated Chinese crowd favorite Zheng Jie 7-6 (3) 7-5. Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng reached the final four with a triumph over second-seeded Ana Ivanovic.

Kuznetsova leads Jankovic 4-2 in their head-to-head. This year they have met twice, in Dubai and Tokyo, and both times the Russian was victorious.

The 2008 China Open titlist will earn $95,500. (photo: Getty Images)

Ana Ivanovic loses to Zheng Jie in China Open quarters

Ana Ivanovic loses to Zheng Jie in China Open quartersOh Ana, you haven't had a winning streak for so long. When was the last one, at Wimbledon? And even there you lost in the third round already, to the same player who conquered you today.

Ana Ivanovic lost in the quarterfinals of the China Open to home favorite Zheng Jie, ranked 30th in the world. The match was a tense three-setter with a final score 7-6 2-6 6-4 which came after almost three hours of play.

"This tournament has definitely been a step forward. I'm still working my way back and I just have to be patient," said Ivanovic. Haha, a step forward. This sounds so strange when you hear it from a recent world No.1. She won one match at the China Open!

Let’s quickly review Ivanovic’s results after Wimbledon in June. She reached the third round at Montreal, withdrew from the Olympics with right thumb injury, reached only the second round at the US Open, dropped opener at Tokyo, and lost in the quarterfinals of the China Open today.

Maybe the solution to Ana’s problems lies in changing that adidas outfit everyone has long been fed up with. Actually, everyone wanted the outfit to go since its introduction. (image via Great Tennis Photos)

Jankovic overcomes Zheng, hair stays intact

Jelena JankovicSecond seed Jelena Jankovic advanced to the fourth round of the US Open with a hard-fought victory over Wimbledon semifinalist Jie Zheng of China, ranked 37th in the world. I’m joking about this "hair stays intact" part because of a recent funny statement of Jankovic (you can read it below).

As always, Jankovic had problems with holding her serve so being a break up wasn’t a big deal for the world No.2. You see, Jankovic converted eight break points, Zheng six. The Serb finished the match on her fifth match point with a final score 7-5 7-5. All those match points were in the final game of the second set which featured 11 deuces.

And here’s the part with Jankovic’s perfect hair. Haha, I read this quote yesterday. When asked what question she has never been asked but wants to answer Jankovic said: "They never ask me why my hair never moves. I use tons of hairspray because of my bangs. Even if I used 100 pins it would all fall out. So I wish they would ask me about my perfect hair!" Jelena, you’re a gem! :D

In the fourth round Jankovic will meet 14th seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus or Caroline Wozniacki, the Danish 21st seed. (photo via AFP)

Serena Williams downs Zheng Jie, sets up all-sister Wimbledon final

Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2008Sixth seed Serena Williams will play her elder sister Venus, seeded seventh, in Wimbledon finals for the third time, after ending an impressive run of China's world No.133 Zheng Jie. Final score: 6-2 7-6(5).

Williams’ serve was impressive throughout the semifinal and Zheng could barely win a point on her opponent’s serve. The exception to this rule was only the second part of the second set, when Zheng even managed to break strong Williams for a 4-2 lead. However, Zheng’s lead didn’t last long, Williams broke back right away. Zheng, however, had one more chance to stay in the match — when she had a set point to force the third set. Disappointingly, Zheng netted a backhand and Williams gave her no more such opportunities from then on. In the tiebreak, Williams scored victory on her first match point with Zheng double-faulting. Unfortunately, this was a poor end of Zheng's otherwise great performance. Read more »

Serena Williams through to Wimbledon semifinals, to face Jie Zheng of China

Jie Zheng at Wimbledon 2008Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2008Serena Williams brushed aside the challenge of Agnieszka Radwanska to book her place in the Wimbledon final four where she will face unexpected semifinalist Jie Zheng of China, whose impressive run has continued as she overcame Nicole Vaidisova.

Sixth seed Serena Williams defeated Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska with a dominant 6-4 6-0 victory. Williams posted only six unforced errors in the match, and by the end of the fifty-one minute quarterfinal, she hit twenty-seven winners and only dropped two service points during the second set. Chinese wildcard Jie Zheng, who upset world No.1 Ana Ivanovic in the third round and beat seed No.15 Agnes Szavay in the next round, got past 18th seed Nicole Vaidisova 6-2 5-7 6-1 in the quarterfinals. Read more »


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