Jankovic ousts Serena in semi-final

ROME (AP):

Top-ranked Serena Williams squandered a match point in the Italian Open semi-finals and lost to former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) yesterday.

Williams served for the match twice in the third set and was broken both times, wasting a match point when she hit a backhand long at 5-4.

Williams jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the tiebreaker, but missed four consecutive baseline shots to hand Jankovic her second final of the year.

"I wasn't playing the points right. I feel like I should have won, could have won," Williams said. "I think I had an apple in my throat, but it is what it is."

Having been out with a knee injury since her Australian Open title in January, however, Williams didn't want to dwell on the loss.

"I can't beat myself up over it - I just came back," she said.

Unseeded Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain prevented an all-Serb final for today, when she beat another former No. 1 - Ana Ivanovic - 6-4, 6-2.

Effective drop shots

Ivanovic, whose ranking has slipped to No. 58, struggled to counter Martinez Sanchez's serve-and-volley game. The 26th-ranked Spaniard also was effective with drop shots.

Jankovic is aiming for her third title at the Foro Italico after winning in 2007 and 2008. She routed Serena's older sister Venus 6-0, 6-1 in the quarter-finals on Thursday and became only the seventh player to beat both Williams in the same tournament - joining Aranxta Sanchez Vicario, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay Davenport and Justine Henin. Clijsters is the only player to achieve the feat twice.

"To beat both Williams sisters in two days is really amazing," Jankovic said. "I'm really proud of myself. It doesn't happen too often."

Jankovic and Williams, the 2002 Rome champion, had a tough time finding their groove at the start, with Williams the first to hold serve to go up 3-2.

Williams then stepped up her attacking game, trying to keep the points short with approach shots to the corners to set up easy put-aways at the net.