Jankovic claims Venus scalp

JELENA JANKOVIC’S credentials as a dark horse for the French Open title were further enhanced as she won a high-quality third-round clash against Venus Williams yesterday.

The in-form Jankovic, seeded four, outlasted the American and claimed a 6-4 4-6 6-1 victory on Philippe Chatrier court.

The Serbian has tournament triumphs in Auckland, Charleston and Rome under her belt already this season, and she will have to be taken seriously at Roland Garros this year.

“I’m not really thinking about winning the tournament,” she said.

“I am just going one match at a time. I just go out there and give my best. Who knows what will happen?”

Jankovic broke Williams in the first game of the match and managed to hold her serve for the remainder of the first set to take it in 30 minutes.

Williams hit back to claim the second set on the back of some booming forehands and power serves.

However, Jankovic regained her composure, breaking Williams three times in the deciding set to close out the match in her favour.

Williams refused to be downbeat after seeing her dreams of a first French Open singles title ruined.

“I feel like I am serving well, I feel like I am moving well. I just think I got a little bit tired. It’s tough on clay.”

Venus’ younger sister, Serena, found things much more comfortable over on Suzanne Lenglen court, the eighth seed dumping out Michaella Krajicek 6-3 6-4.

Elsewhere, reigning champion Justine Henin breezed through to the fourth round thanks to a 6-2 6-3 victory over Mara Santangelo.

19th seed Tathiana Garbin of Italy thrashed France’s Stephanie Cohen-Aloro 6-3 6-0, and 20th seed Sybille Bammer of Austria defeated Na Li, seeded 20, 6-4 6-3.

In the one completed second-round match, 12th-seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia was a straight-sets winner over Russia’s Olga Poutchkova.

Nicole Vaidisova, sixth seed, made the fourth round thanks to a 6-4 6-4 win over Australia’s Samantha Stosur.

In the men’s, top seed Roger Federer will face his first real test when he faces Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny at the fourth-round stage. The world number one routed unseeded Italian Potito Starace 6-2 6-3 6-0.

He will now meet Youzhny, who beat former champion Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 6-2 in the third round.

The Swiss is not going to take Youzhny lightly.

“He’s always been famous for playing exceptionally well in practice but not tying it together in a match situation. Now he’s been doing it on a regular basis. That puts him in contention,” said Federer.

Federer, in search of the only grand slam to elude him, beat Starace in an hour and 31 minutes.

He is yet to lose a set at Roland Garros this year.

It was a good day for the Argentinian trio of Guillermo Canas, David Nalbandian and Juan Monaco yesterday.

Canas dispatched Kristof Vliegen, of Belgium, 6-2 6-2 2-6 6-3 out on Court 7.

Two-time semi-finalist Nalbandian battled to a hard-fought win over home favourite Gael Monfils on Philippe Chatrier court, 7-6 (7/5) 5-7 6-4 7-6 (7/5). Unseeded Monaco progressed with a 6-4 6-2 6-4 win over Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

Nalbandian will next face fourth-seed Nikolay Davydenko, who eased past Frenchman Michael Llodra to confirm his status as a serious challenger this year.

Ninth-seeded Tommy Robredo, of Spain, had little difficulty in overcoming Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic 6-3 6-4 6-0.

Clay-court specialist Robredo will meet in Filippo Volandri in the last 16 after the Italian’s marathon five-set win over seventh-seed Ivan Ljubicic, of Croatia.

Volandri, seeded 29, claimed the last two sets to prevail 6-4 6-7 (4/7) 4-6 6-3 6-4. He famously beat Federer 6-2 6-4 on the clay in Rome earlier this year.