Jelena Jankovic makes a return during her match with Simona Halep, of Romania, during their first round match at Flushing Meadows last night, which the Serbian No 4 seed won.
Jelena Jankovic makes a return during her match with Simona Halep, of Romania, during their first round match at Flushing Meadows last night, which the Serbian No 4 seed won.
Jelena Jankovic came back to avoid a big upset in the first round of the US Open yesterday, edging 18-year-old Simona Halep of Romania 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
Halep served for the match while leading 5-4 in the third set, and she came within two points of victory. But Jankovic broke her, and took the final three games to ensure she prevailed.
The Serbian had looked as if she would go through comfortably after taking the first set, but then she wobbled as Halep went two breaks up in the second set.
Although the Serbian was able to get one break back, she was unable to prevent her teenage opponent taking the match to a final set on the Arthur Ashe court.
The third set proved close, but it looked as if Halep was about to land the first upset of the championships when she had the chance to serve out for the match, and Jankovic admitted that it took her a little while to realise the severity of her plight.
The Serbian revealed afterwards she had not initially realised the severity of the situation.
"I was in some sort of zone, I thought it was 4-3 and then thought, 'Oh my God'," she said on Sky Sports.
"It was unbelievable, I'm so happy to get through."
She added: "First round matches are never easy and today was really hard. It wasn't my best game, so I had to work hard to get through.
"It's really hot out there, I don't know how many degrees but it's really hot, especially on one side (of the court) with the sun in my face.
"It was tough, I was lucky to get through and to have another chance."
Jankovic was the 2008 runner-up at Flushing Meadows and has a chance to overtake Serena Williams at No 1 in the rankings by winning the tournament this year, with the American absent due to a foot injury.
The 96th-ranked Halep, meanwhile, never has won a match at any major tournament. She lost in the first round at the French Open in her Grand Slam debut.
Jankovic, a former world No 1, next plays Mirjana Lucic, the Croatian qualifier, who eliminated Alicia Molik of Australia.
Elsewhere in yesterday's second day of action at Flushing Meadows, Svetlana Kuznetsova, the former US Open champion, booked her passage into the last 64 with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Kimiko Date Krumm.
But the 25-year-old Russian, who won the tournament in 2004 and reached the final in 2007, was far from convincing during the one hour, 56 minute match.
Her superior groundstrokes gave her the first set but wayward shot selection combined with some intelligent tactical play from Japan's Date Krumm saw the match go to a final set.
Both players, sweating heavily in the New York midday sun, struggled to find any rhythm on serve in the decider, but Kuznetsova was eventually rewarded for the more attacking approach.
There were glimmers that the No 11 seed was returning to her best form in the final games of the match. The former world No 2, who ended a 10-month wait for a tournament win earlier this month in San Diego, increasingly mixed some heavy hitting from the back of the court with some fine touches at the net.
For the opening two sets, though, Date Krumm, who turns 40 next month, boasted the better shot selection, but she tired as the contest approached the two-hour mark.
But it was Kuznetsova who prevailed in the end.
* Agencies
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Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
Europe’s rearming plan
Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Weekend schedule for Austrian Grand Prix - all timings UAE
Friday
Noon-1.30pm First practice
4-5.30pm Second practice
Saturday
1-2pm Final practice
4pm Qualifying
Sunday
4pm Austrian Grand Prix (71 laps)
Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
Scoreline
Switzerland 5
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Score
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
New Zealand lead three-match ODI series 1-0
Next match: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Friday
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
GroupA: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
