Serbs struggle to get past outsider Taiwan
Perth, Australia - Top seed Serbia struggled past Asian tennis minnow Taiwan, managing to build up an unbeatable 2-0 lead on the back of a pair of patchy performances on Sunday at the Hopman Cup.
The group A affair at the eight-nation mixed team event provided a sloppy start to the season for both Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic, each ranked third in the world Jankovic stopped the rot after losing her last six matches of the 2007 campaign with a defeat of Su-Wei Hsieh 6-4, 6-4. The Asian, ranked 157, had never
faced a Top 10 player and competed in only four WTA-level events in 2007. Jankovic was competing for the first time since post-season sinus surgery which limited her training to just a fortnight. ’It was my first match after two months of rest and recovery,’ said Jankovic. ‘I didn’t expect to play my best tennis. ’I wasn’t thrilled with how I played, I’ll try to keep improving and get a rhythm again.’ Jankovic converted on only seven of 15 break points chances, struck six double-faults among 29 unforced errors. The fitness of sometimes-fragile Novak Djokovic also came into question as the 20-year-old edged past over Yen-Hsun Lu 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. After winning a 75-minute opening set and taking six set points to do it, Djokovic’s level dropped like a stone in the second as the Asian challenger levelled at a set each. Djokovic took treatment for his back - a consistent weak spot in his game - stretched out flat on court. ’It was nothing,’ said the US Open finalist who made his tennis breakthrough last season. ‘I’ll be fit for the (concluding) mixed doubles.’ In an evening session, France was facing Argentina as Tatiana Golovin played Gisela Dulko and 2001 Australian Open finalist Arnaud Clement, substituting for the injured Gael Monfils, Juan Chela. American Serena Williams arrived two days late as planned in West Australia from Florida, taking to the practise court for an hour against a pair of male partners. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur