MOSCOW – Alisa Kleybanova of Russia beat defending champion Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, 6-4, 6-3, Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Kremlin Cup.
The upset came a day after the second-seeded Jankovic took the last spot for next week’s season-ending WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Jankovic dropped serve in the fifth game of each set. Down 5-3 in the second set, Jankovic double-faulted twice to lose the match.
The Serb said she found it tough to move her opponent around because of Kleybanova’s low-bouncing shots.
“It was a difficult match for me, but I tried my best today,” Jankovic said. “Unfortunately, she was the better player today.”
Kleybanova, who will next play Olga Govortsova of Belarus, said her powerful style didn’t allow Jankovic to get into the match.
“I beat her in Toronto earlier this year and I wanted to win in two sets today to prove that victory was not a fluke,” Kleybanova said.
Eighth-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Russia’s Maria Kirilenko.
Schiavone, the 2005 runner-up, will next play Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine, who ousted Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova 6-3, 6-3.
The 24th-ranked Schiavone dominated against Kirilenko to reach her fifth semifinal this season. (AP)