Jankovic and Kuznetsova survive scares

8:24am Thursday 28th August 2008

Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova both endured some tense moments before progressing to the third round of the US Open last night but former champion Lindsay Davenport progressed without being troubled.

Second seed Jankovic was pushed before recording a 6-3 6-7 (5/7) 7-5 triumph over Sofia Arvidsson, while former world number one and 1998 champion Davenport posted a 7-5 6-3 second-round triumph over Russian Alisa Kleybanova.

Third seed Kuznetsova got off to a shaky start before registering a 7-6 (7/3) 6-1 victory over Sorana Cirstea, while eighth seed Vera Zvonareva became the highest-seeded player to be sent packing at the year's final major after falling 6-3 6-3 to Tatiana Perebiynis.

Jankovic, who recently lost the world's top ranking after holding it for just a week, looked like she would cruise into the third round, but the 23-year-old Serb squandered a 3-0 lead in the second set before letting slip a similar lead in the tiebreak.

But in a tense third set which featured some brilliant tennis, Jankovic finally put away the match when world number 63 Arvidsson sent a backhand long for her 54th unforced error to bring to an end the two hour 45 minute contest.

"It was really tough. I am completely out of breath," said Jankovic. "I was pushed to the limit. The last time I played her, she was up 5-1 in the third and I had to come back."

A quarter-finalist at last year's US Open, Jankovic next faces Wimbledon semi-finalist Zheng Jie of China.

Zvonareva was her own worst enemy, committing 30 unforced errors in an embarrassing performance against the world's 71st-ranked player who made it to the third round at major for the first time since Wimbledon in 2004.

Swiss 15th seed Patty Schnyder also advanced with a 6-3 6-3 win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, while newly crowned Olympic champion Elena Dementieva coasted into the third round with a 6-2 6-1 destruction of Pauline Parmentier in under an hour.

The Russian fifth seed will next face British number one Anne Keothavong, a 6-2 3-6 6-4 winner over 25th seed Francesca Schiavone.

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