World No. 3 Novak Djokovic carried top seeds Serbia to a 2-1 win over France in their Group A clash at the mixed teams Hopman Cup in Perth yesterday.
With teammate Jelena Jankovic stricken by an upper-leg strain that forced her to retire from her singles match against Tatiana Golovin, Djokovic squared the tie by beating Arnaud Clement, 6-3, 6-3, and then dominated the deciding mixed doubles rubber.
Despite Jankovic being severely restricted by the injury in the mixed doubles, the brilliance of Djokovic ensured the Serbians recovered from a set down to snatch the doubles in a surprisingly lopsided match tiebreak, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (10-4).
Jankovic could barely believe they were able to upset the French in the doubles.
"I really don't know how," she said when asked how they won the match.
"I am playing on one leg, I couldn't move and I had trouble returning the serve.
"Novak was trying to help me out on the court and he tried to cover more than his side and we did it.
"I was really having pain every time I made some steps, but I have the desire and motivation to win and somehow pull it off.
"We are Serbian and we fight until the end," she said.
It was Serbia's second win from as many ties and they need only to beat the Czech Republic today to reach tomorrow's final, although Jankovic conceded she was in considerable doubt for today's tie.
Despite the loss, France can still reach the final if they beat Taiwan today and Serbia lose.
In an untimely setback less than two weeks before the Australian Open, Jankovic lasted just 14 points in the much-anticipated women's singles clash against Golovin before having to retire.
Having been cleared of a muscle tear by scans, Jankovic elected to play in the deciding mixed doubles rubber.
When France took the first set in the doubles and Jankovic sought further treatment, complaining that her injury had worsened, the French were set to claim the tie and top spot in the group.
However, a hobbling Jankovic made it back onto the court was able to provide enough support to Djokovic to firstly level the match and then win it.
The French seemed reluctant to target the ailing Jankovic and paid the price, as Clement conceded after the match.
"I am a good guy -- maybe a little bit too much," he said.
Jankovic could be heard screaming in pain as she received post-match acupuncture therapy during a press conference for the French pair.
Although she conceded the injury was a significant setback for her Australian Open preparation, Jankovic remained confident of being fit for Melbourne.
The 22-year-old pulled up sore after stretching for a backhand return against Golovin, but played on initially and broke the Frenchwoman's serve.
However, Jankovic received courtside attention at the end of the game, before heading into the rooms for further treatment.
She returned and won two more points on her own serve, but was clearly restricted and visibly frustrated.
Jankovic cut a forlorn figure as she confirmed her retirement from the match to her opponent and the chair umpire, before trudging back to the rooms to hand the French a 1-0 lead.
■ ASB CLASSIC
AP, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
Lindsay Davenport improved to 15-1 in singles since her return to tournament play when she beat Annabel Medina Garrigues 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 yesterday in the second round of the ASB Classic.
Davenport has won two singles tournaments and reached the semifinals of another since returning after the birth of her first child. She outclassed No. 5 seed Medina Garrigues, who is ranked 40 places above her.
Davenport beat fellow American Laura Granville 6-2, 6-3 in her first-round match on Monday and looked in similarly confident form yesterday, although she had to overcome a brief loss of concentration during the second set.
Top-seeded Vera Zvonareva advanced to her third quarter-final in Auckland with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Sofia Arvidsson.
No. 7 seed and former champion Eleni Daniilidou of Greece was beaten 7-5, 6-4 by Aravane Rezai of France.
■ MEN'S HARDCOURT
AP, ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
Australian wild card Joseph Sirianni advanced to his first ATP quarter-final after beating American Sam Querrey 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 yesterday at the Australian men's hardcourt championships.
Sirianni, 32, broke Querrey's serve to go ahead 4-2 in the deciding set. Serving for the match, he fell behind 0-40 before recovering to win in just under two hours.
■ WOMEN'S HARDCOURT
AP, GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA
Former No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian women's hardcourt championships yesterday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over French compatriot Nathalie Dechy.
Two-time Grand Slam-tournament winner Mauresmo, seeded No. 6 at the event, will meet Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in the next round. Schnyder beat Italian Francesca Schiavone 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 yesterday.
■ QATAR OPEN
AP, DOHA, QATAR
Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko took just over an hour to advance to the second round of the US$1.05 million Qatar Open on Tuesday while No. 2 Tommy Robredo and No. 5 Ivo Karlovic were both eliminated in straight sets.
Davydenko had a 91 percent first-serve percentage and converted seven of 13 break-point chances to rout German qualifier Benedikt Dorsch 6-3, 6-0 in one hour, 16 minutes.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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