By Alberto Amalfi | Thursday, March 19, 2015
Jelena Jankovic soared into the Indian Wells semifinals—and ensured her Top 20 return holding a 6-1, 4-1 lead over Lesia Tsurenko when the Ukrainian qualifier retired with a right ankle injury.
Photo credit: @BNPParibasOpen
Jelena Jankovic continues to plant seeds of personal growth in the Indian Wells tennis garden.
The 18th-seeded Serbian held a 6-1, 4-1 lead over Lesia Tsurenko when the Ukrainian qualifier retired with a right ankle injury after 45 minutes of play.
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The 2010 Indian Wells champion rolled into her first WTA semifinal since reaching the final four on the red clay of Rome last May.
Playing in Palm Springs has been almost as revitalizing as drinking from the fountain of youth: The 30-year-old Jankovic joins 33-year-old Serena Williams in the semifinals. The top-seeded Williams faces third-seeded Simona Halep in the top-half semifinal.
The current and former No. 1 players are carrying the flag forward for thirtysomethings on tour. Jankovic attributes her revival in part to youthful exuberance: She's enjoying the game and the challenge of beating opponents a decade younger.
"The other day when I finished the match, Serena goes, 'You go! We go 30 year olds.' " Jankovic said. "She gave me a high five. I'm like, 'Yeah, Serena.' I mean, I been playing the girls who are like ten, twelve years younger. It's unbelievable.
"But I think age is just a number. I feel young. I don't feel 30. I'm still a child in the heart, so that will never go away. I feel good. I'm happy."
The result will propel the 21st-ranked Jankovic back into the Top 20 when the new WTA rankings are released on Monday.
It is the third BNP Paribas Open semifinal for the Belgrade-born baseliner.
The 85th-ranked Tsurenko took down three straight seeds—No. 9 Andrea Petkovic, No. 20 Alize Cornet and No. 6 Eugenie Bouchard—in draining three setters to advance to the quarterfinals. She had no legs left against the speedy Jankovic.
Jankovic will play either reigning champion Flavia Pennetta or 24th-seeded German Sabine Lisicki for a spot in the final.
Jankovic is 8-2 lifetime against Pennetta. The former world No. 1 has won four of five meetings with the 30th-ranked Lisicki.
Productive past history against both potential semifinal opponents infuses Jankovic with confidence.
"It gives me a lot of confidence, but every match is a new match," Jankovic said. "You got to be focused and be playing your game. I hope to be playing on the really high level and execute my shots, play smart, play the way I can play, and we'll see. Hopefully it can go my way."