Sep 5, 2008, 21:06 GMT
New York - Jelena Jankovic broke through on her fifth attempt, reaching a Grand Slam final for the first time with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Olympic champion Elena Dementieva at the US Open on Friday.
The second-seeded Serb trailed in both sets but never gave up the fight against her Russian opponent, advancing as Dementieva ended her own 11-match win streak with the 42nd error of the afternoon on the second of three match points.
Jankovic was overcome with emotion after finally going over the line. 'I have tears in my eyes. I've played five Grand Slam semi- finals and to get to a final for the first time is unbelievable.
'I'm thrilled.'
Jankovic kept her error count to just 22 as Dementieva handed over point after point.
The pair withstood a run of four consecutive breaks of serve in the second set, with Jankovic breaking one more time to end with the victory as a Dementieva return sailed long.
The 23-year-old Serbian winner faces a Saturday night final - weather permitting, as rain is forecast for the day - against either Serena Williams or Beijing runner-up Dinara Safina.
'I was down in both sets and just kept fighting,' said Jankovic, aiming to take back the number one ranking she held for just a week prior to the Olympics.
The loss eliminated Dementieva from the race for the top, with Williams still chasing. Safina was eliminated as Jankovic got to the final.
Dementieva said that blustery conditions and a difficult opponent made victory tough.
'Elena's a great champion and she kept running me down,' said the winner, now 18-4 at the event. 'I'm very very happy to be in the final.'
Jankovic stands 3-3 with Williams while trailing Safina 2-3.
Dementieva, the 2004 New York finalist, came into the semi-final with victories in 16 of her last 18 matches.
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