Apia International Sydney, Australia

[CR19] Sara Errani (ITA) vs. [CR21] Jelena Jankovic (SRB)

When you watch Errani play, many may wonder how it is possible for her to win matches with “that serve”.  Not only has she won matches, she was ranked in the top ten in singles for two consecutive years. She was also ranked in the top ten in doubles for three consecutive years, two of which she was ranked number one. Thus, while Jankovic has the better serve and flatter ground strokes, Errani has tenacity and confidence in her mental and physical ability. This match demonstrated how vital the mental aspect is to success and even a gifted player like Jankovic can be vulnerable on occasion.

Jankovic, once ranked number one, has had her struggles with fitness and confidence.  That was evident when she lost the second set and the match after she served at 5-1, and 5-3. After complete domination of Errani in the first six games of the second set, Jankovic lost her conviction and was unable to force a third set.  Why did Errani win the second set? The same reason she won the first.  Despite her diminutive stature, Errani is one of the fittest players on tour.  Add to that the large arsenal of shots garnered over the years in doubles and she becomes a very difficult opponent to defeat, especially if you are not one hundred percent on your game.  Errani defeated Jankovic in two tiebreak sets, 7-6(3), 7-6(8). Next up for Errani is Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS).  Kuznetsova has also been struggling to find the form that saw her win the US Open in 2004 and Roland Garros in 2009. However, she will not be an easy opponent for Errani as she leads their head-to-head 6:1.