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.
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
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