23 January,2009 01:12 PM IST | | AFP
World No 1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia reached the Australian Open's fourth round today with a hard-fought win over Ai Sugiyama of Japan.
The tournament top seed struggled to land a killer blow against the tenacious Sugiyama and had to grind out a 6-4, 6-4 win over a player who at 33 is 10 years her senior.
"I have always had tough matches against her, she has a lot of experience and is a very solid player. I had to work for every point," Jankovic said.
"I'm really glad I came through this match."
It made for a frustrating match for Jankovic, who said earlier this week that she was looking for a major improvement after a similarly tough victory over Belgian Kirsten Flipkens.
However, she was confident her form would improve as she seeks a maiden Grand Slam title to go with her ranking as the world's best player.
"It's only my third match and I haven't competed for a while, so little by little I'm getting my rhythm," she said.
Jankovic looked headed for an easy victory over the 33-year-old veteran, using her sizzling forehand to great effect as she broke Sugiyama twice to go up 5-2 in the first set.
The Japanese then hit back with her own break and was pushing Jankovic hard with a 30-love lead with the Serb serving at 5-4 when a disputed line call went against her.
Sugiyama appeared briefly rattled by the call and Jankovic went on to win the game to claim the first set after 49 minutes.
Former World No 8 Sugiyama was on the attack again early in the second set, setting up two break points against the world's top player but failing to convert either.
Jankovic struggled to shake off Sugiyama, who turned pro in 1992, when the Serb was just seven years old, finally going up a break 35 minutes into the set to lead 4-3.
Sugiyama called a medical time-out, telling officials she was having trouble breathing as trainers placed bags of ice on her legs.
She came back out and held serve but Jankovic held onto the advantage and serve out the match after one hour 40 minutes.
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