Jankovic thrashes Sam Stosur to reach semis in Dubai

Dubai: Jelena Jankovic of Serbia defeated US Open champion Sam Stosur 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday to reach the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The eighth-seeded Jankovic was in control throughout the match as the fourth-seeded Stosur struggled with her serve. The Australian seemed to rush her shots for much of the first set, hitting the ball early and returning it long and wide. Stosur broke Jankovic early in the second, but the Serb broke right back and then pulled ahead 5-2 before wrapping up the match in 1 hour, 30 minutes. Later on Thursday, defending champion Caroline Wozniacki meets the other Serbian quarterfinalist, Ana Ivanovic. Wozniacki is the highest seeded player in Dubai at No. 3 after top-ranked Victoria Azarenka pulled out of the tournament Wednesday because of an ankle injury. Bureau Report