Serb duo eye Roland Garros final

Serbia’s rise as a power in world tennis could be confirmed tomorrow when Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic bid to set up a date in the final of the French Open.

While renowned heavyweights such as the United States and Australia are struggling to produce much fresh talent in either the men’s or women’s game, there is a conveyor belt of up-and-coming stars pouring out of eastern Europe.

Serbia are at the front of the queue. In the men’s draw, they have Novak Djokovic, who is sixth in the world rankings, while Jankovic and Ivanovic are both in the top 10 of the women’s charts.

Neither women has made it to the final of a grand slam – Jankovic, 22, was a semi-finalist in last year’s US Open while Ivanovic, 19, made the quarters here at Roland Garros in 2005.

That could all change tomorrow when they play one after the other on Philippe Chatrier court in the semi-finals of the second major of the year.

Jankovic’s task is the tougher, with the fourth seed having the sizeable job of eliminating Justine Henin, the top seed and champion here for the past two years.

However, the in-form Jankovic has already knocked out Venus Williams and Nicole Vaidisova this year, and has won three tournaments on the tour in 2007.

Seventh seed Ivanovic, meanwhile, takes on Maria Sharapova, the world number two who has made it this far even though she still claims she is like a “cow on ice on clay”.

Ivanovic looked in fine fettle in dispatching third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in her quarter-final on Tuesday.

An all-Serbian final could therefore be on the cards.

“Wherever you go, it’s just Serbians all over the place, winning all these matches!” said Jankovic.

“It’s just incredible. I’m so proud of that and hopefully we can keep it going.”

Ivanovic added: “It’s very exciting to see all of us doing so well, especially since we are all very young.

“We all have a lot of years in front of us and many possibilities. I’m sure people back home are very proud of us and that makes us feel very good.”

Both insist that while an all-Serbian confrontation in the final would be a proud moment, they are nonetheless concentrating all their focus on their semi-final matches.

That would be wise, given the form showed by their respective opponents in the quarter-finals.

Henin was in ruthless mood in running through eighth seed Serena Williams 6-4 6-3, while Sharapova also lost just seven games in beating Russian compatriot Anna Chakvetadze.

Henin is still to drop a set in the tournament and has not lost here, on her favoured surface of clay, since 2004.

“Everyone in the semis is playing very good tennis, and the best will go to the end,” she said.

“I don’t have anything to prove to anyone on this surface. I did it in the past and I just want to do it for myself.”

The Belgian has won all five of her previous meetings against Jankovic, all in three sets.

“She has improved so much, she’s a great player,” added Henin on the Serb.

“She can play well on the clay, she’s consistent and she does not feel pressure. It’s been a long fight every time I’ve played her. Is it going to be different on Thursday? We’ll see.”

Sharapova, who is in the semi-finals here for the first time, has managed to reach this stage even though she is battling against shoulder trouble.

She is unable to put her full weight behind her serve, and she admitted she has been having about an hour and a half’s treatment on her shoulder every day.

The Russian has played Ivanovic twice, winning the first in Linz in straight sets last year but being forced to retire midway through the second, which came in Tokyo earlier this year.

“She plays similar to Chakvetadze,” said Sharapova, when asked about her semi-final opponent.

“She hits the ball pretty flat and big, and she’s had some good success on the clay courts this season. It will be a very tough match and one I’m looking forward to.”