Laura Siegemund knocked off 19th seed Jelena Jankovic 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in two hours and 28 minutes in second round play at the Australian Open. Jankovic was the second seeded women's player ousted in the tournament today after Sabine Lisicki was upset by Denisa Allertova earlier. Siegemund will face the winner of the Timea Bacsinszky-Annika Beck in the third round.
Jankovic gets the early break to win the first set
Under an open roof and surrounded by thousands of fans, the second match of the day at Hisense Arena between Jankovic and Siegemund started with a break in the first game. Jankovic got two break points after Siegemund hit three consecutive errors. The German hit her fourth error of the game to give the Serbian an early break. Jankovic consolidated the break to go up 2-0.
Up 3-1, Jankovic got another opportunity to pad her lead as she got a hold of three break points, all coming from Siegemund’s racket. However, the German was able to save all three and managed to hold her service game. In the ninth game of the set, the pressure was on Siegemund to hold her service game as she trailed 5-3. It appeared as if the pressure got to the German, as she committed three consecutive errors to give Jankovic three set points. After saving two of those set points with a winner and an ace, Siegemund hit her fourth error as Jankovic won the set 6-3 in 34 minutes.
Jankovic won 92 percent of her first serves and minimized her unforced errors to four in the set. The same could not be said for her German opponent, as she only won 57 percent of her first serves and committed 14 unforced errors.
Siegemund wins tiebreak, forces a third set
It was a different story in the second set as both players managed to hold their serve all the way through to force a tiebreak. Jankovic didn't convert two of the break points that she saw in the set, while Siegemund wasn't successful in turning her one break point into a break.
The set needed a tiebreak. The German got the mini-break on the first point as she hit a forehand winner. Up 5-4, Siegemund hit a forehand volley winner to get two set points. The German failed to convert the set point as she hit an error on a forehand smash. Still at set point, Jankovic sent a backhand long as Siegemund won the set in 66 minutes, forcing a third and deciding set.
Jankovic saw a decrease of her first serves in and points won on those first serves, winning only 65 percent, down from 92 percent in the first set. Meanwhile, Siegemund saw an increase of points won on her first serves as Jankovic struggled to return.The German also won more points on her second serve, jumping from 50 percent in the first to 73 in the second set.
Siegemund wins tight third set
The final set started with an exchange of breaks. However, both players settled into a rhythm and began holding their service games. It appeared like the momentum had swung to Siegemund's side after winning the second set tiebreak. Down 4-5, the pressure was on Jankovic to hold her service game to stay in the match. The Serbian would commit two errors to go down 0-30. Siegemund saw an opportunity and grabbed it on the next point, hitting a forehand winner to get three match points. Next point, Jankovic hit a double fault to end the match as Siegemund upset the 19th seed to advance to the third round.
Overall, Siegemund had a higher first serve percentage with 73 percent compared to Jankovic's 61 percent. The German hit 50 winners and 49 unforced errors, a far cry from Jankovic's 13 winners and 17 unforced errors. Siegemund came out hitting in crucial moments in the match, forcing Jankovic to commit errors. She stayed toe-to-toe with the Serbian till she finally saw an opening to win the match against a tough opponent.