Dinara Safina won her first match as world number one by defeating Sara Errani 6-0 6-1 to reach the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

Safina, who celebrated her 23rd birthday in Stuttgart on Monday, defeated the 37th ranked Errani in just 51 minutes.

Meanwhile, Jelena Jankovic, whose experiments with fitness regime ruined her game, decided to keep her expectations low: "I won't be thinking about defending the title here, it's more important for me to just get back to playing good tennis."

It’s bizarre and still painful that in Jankovic’s case it would’ve been better if she hadn’t worked at all, than those overly difficult trainings in the wrong direction. However, JJ learned her lesson: "You listen to your team and you think it will bring results. But my body just did not accept it [...] I am not doing any more experiments."

Great news is that the fourth-ranked Serb feels that her game is recovering: "I feel I am coming back into form."

World No.17 Dominika Cibulkova is awaiting Jelena Jankovic in the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. (sources: BBC, Reuters; photo: safina-dinara.com)

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Second seed Jelena Jankovic defeated Russia’s Nadia Petrova 6-4 6-3 in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final to win her second title in two weeks. The victory earned the world No.2 her eighth career title and a shiny red Porsche Carrera 911.

The 23-year-old Serb, who will on Monday return to No.1 in the rankings, also won the China Open last week and now has three titles this season.

Jankovic broke Petrova’s serve in the opening game to take the first set. In the second she led 3-1 with three break points for 4-1, but the 2006 Stuttgart champion Petrova tied at 3-3. Afterward, however, Jankovic regrouped and took the next three games for the title.

Jankovic improved her career record against the world No.18 Petrova to 6-2, with now three of those victories coming at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

Before beating Nadia Petrova, Jankovic had defeated Alona Bondarenko, seed No.7 Vera Zvonareva, and sixth-seeded Venus Williams at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. (photo via Yahoo)

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Second seed Jelena Jankovic edged sixth-seeded Venus Williams 6-7(8) 7-5 6-2, improved to 5-3 lifetime against the American, and set up a Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final against Nadia Petrova.

Russia’s Petrova advanced to the final in Stuttgart with a 6-4 6-4 win over Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, the 19-year-old player who upset fourth seed Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals.

Jankovic, who was already assured of becoming the new women's world No.1 when the rankings are released on Monday, reached her first final at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix  (last year she was beaten in the semis by Justine Henin) and will face the 2006 Stuttgart champion Nadia Petrova.

Jankovic and Petrova meet for the eighth time in their careers and the Serb leads their series 5-2. Interestingly, two of Jankovic’s victories over Petrova came at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, in 2004 (first round) and 2007 (quarterfinals). (photos: Getty Images)

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Semifinalists of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix are set. Victoria Azarenka will play Nadia Petrova, while sixth seed Venus Williams will face second-seeded Jelena Jankovic. Read more »

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Second seed Jelena Jankovic and sixth seed Venus Williams advanced to the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Williams served 12 aces on her way to a 6-4 6-2 victory over Ukraine’s qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko.

Jelena Jankovic, who will regain the world number one spot from Serena Williams, beat Kateryna’s older sister Alona Bondarenko 6-2 6-0 to win her opening match in Stuttgart.

Other quarterfinalists in Stuttgart:

Third seed Dinara Safina, one of four Russian quarterfinalists at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, beat Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova 6-1 7-6(6) to reach the last eight. She will next play Venus Williams.

Russian seventh seed Vera Zvonareva spoiled Marion Bartoli's 24th birthday beating her 6-2 6-0, while another Russian Nadia Petrova defeated Swiss Patty Schnyder 6-4 6-1. Zvonareva’s next opponent will be Jelena Jankovic, and Petrova’s Li Na of China.

There is one more quarterfinal pair, fourth seed Elena Dementieva will play Belorussian Victoria Azarenka. (photos: Getty Images)

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