By Bill Scott Aug 28, 2008, 0:19 GMT
New York - Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic put in hard labour to secure a Serbian victory double with the pair of seeds advancing at the US Open on Wednesday.
An exhausted Jankovic, who lost the number one ranking to compatriot Ana Ivanovic before the start of the season's final Grand Slam, slid flat-out on the court for 30 seconds of impromptu rest before finishing up a second-round win over Swede Sofia Arvidsson 6- 3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5.
Djokovic, third on the men's side behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, needed treatment on a rolled ankle but came through over Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
'I was thinking more of it than I was really actually feeling the pain, so it's not really a big deal,' admitted last year's losing finalist to Roger Federer.
'But in that certain moment, I felt big pain, so I just had to tape the ankle. It's going to be alright.'
Jankovic, never far from an injury worry, had her only small scare, cramping on a post-match treadmill for three minutes.
'The muscle was in spasm, and I had a lot of pain. I couldn't make another step,' said the former number one. 'But my fitness trainer was there. He gave me a lot of things to drink and stretching and ice, massage.
'Finally I recovered and could go back to the locker room and take a shower. I'm not in the best shape. For me to play three hours, it's amazing at this moment, because I haven't been training as hard as I want to.'
Fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva continued to live in the glow of her Olympic dream, with the Beijing gold medallist storming 6-2, 6-1 over Pauline Parmentier.
The Russian spent less than an hour in defeating the 49th-ranked French player who has never advanced past the second round of a major.
Russians took more opportunities, with 2004 New York champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded third, hammering Romanian Sorana Cirstea 7-6 (7-3), 6-1. Ekaterina Makarova beat compatriot Ekaterina Bychkova 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The powerful women's tennis nation also suffered two defeats, as Tatiana Perebiynis of Ukraine upset eighth seed Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-3 and Swiss 15th seed Patty Schnyder dismissed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-3.
Kuznetsova said her championship four years ago made the event all the more special to her. 'I feel like I've made it here, I really can do it and I've done it here.
'It's amazing feeling,' said Kuznetsova, the 2007 finalist against Justine Henin. 'That supports me, I don't know how to explain. I just play much more confident.'
Unfancied Briton Anne Keothavong continued to surprise in the best Grand Slam run of her career, reaching the third round over experienced London-based Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
Men's fifth seed Nikolay Davydenko shrugged off the continual pressure on him as a result of an ATP match-fix probe which has dragged on for well over a year with no conclusion.
The stoic Russian turned in his best match in months to beat Israeli Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
'I played a good first round, I'm surprised because my confidence is not so great at the start of tournaments,' said the Wimbledon and Olympic first-round victim.
'But I played good all three sets, fighting good and with very good concentration.
'I've been tired all year, but I'm a player at a big event. It's the last Grand Slam of the season and I'd like to make a good result, said the competitor who also lost to Federer in the semi-finals at the previous two editions.
American Robby Ginepri beat Amer Delic 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) while Australian open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga put out Santiago Ventura of 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
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