Jelena Jankovic Into Last Eight

1 month ago 01st Oct 12:39

Jelena Jankovic is the highest ranked seed left in the Pan Pacific Open as she progressed into the quarter finals.

She leading 6-1 3-0 when her opponent Elena Vesnina was forced to retire with a thigh strain allowing the seventh seed to progress.

Jankovic struggled at the U.S. Open due to the death of her grandmother during the tournament but she seems to be finding some form at the end of the season.

She will now face France's Marion Bartoli, seeded fourteenth in the competition, as she saw off compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 4-6 6-2 7-5.

But the Pan Pacific Open has not been a good competition for the top seeded women as Dinara Safina, Venus Williams, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Caroline Wozniacki were all beaten or retired through injury in their opening matches.

But while the seeds have continued to fall Maria Sharapova has breezed through the draw as she continues to return from injury.

The former world number one has been away from the game for ten months because of a shoulder injury, returning just before the French Open, and has steadily improved her ranking over the following months.

Despite dropping the opening set Sharapova, who is unseeded in this event, quickly regained her composure as she opened up a 5-0 lead in the second set.

Her concentration waned as Alisa Kleybanova broke her fellow Russian as she served for the set before hold her own serve to get a couple of games on the board.

But Sharapova secured the set to level the match in her next service game. The third set was more of the same from the former Grand Slam champion as she wrapped up the victory 2-6 6-2 6-2 to reach the last eight.