Jankovic stuns Sharapova to win in Birmingham
Sunday, 17 Jun 2007 20:48
Sharapova blew a 3-0 lead in the deciding set
Rising star Jelena Jankovic battled back from a set down to beat Maria Sharapova 4-6 6-3 7-5 to lift the DFS Classic in Birmingham.
The victory gives Jankovic her fourth title of the year and confirms her reputation as an all-rounder with tournament wins on grass, clay, and hardcourt.
The players exchanged breaks early on before Sharapova broke again in game seven to take a 4-3 lead.
The Russian continued to dominate with her brutal forehands and clinched the first set with an inch perfect lob.
Sharapova maintained her edge in the second set but missed a routine volley in game six which would have given her a 4-2 lead.
Jankovic cranked up the tempo and broke twice to take the set and force a decider.
Sharapova raced to a 3-0 lead and looked to be heading to victory. But she was then broke to love in game four and allowed Jankovic to hold despite having a 40-0 lead.
The Russian was broken again in game 11 leaving Jankovic to serve out the match and clinch victory against a top two player for the first time in her career.
The final took place in the evening as both players had earlier contested their semi-finals because of the rain.
Jankovic saw off eighth seed Mara Santangelo 6-1 7-5 while Sharapova defeated Marion Bartoli 7-5 6-0.
On a day of drama, a spectator had to be airlifted to hospital after falling from one of the temporary stands at Edgbaston.