Serb Jankovic dreaming of return to Dubai final

By Bill Scott Feb 23, 2012, 13:51 GMT

Dubai - Longtime protagonist Jelena Jankovic was dreaming of finally lifting the desert title after putting out US Open champion Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday for a semi-final berth at the Dubai Championships.

Jankovic, seeded eighth, won 10 of the last 14 games as her under-done Australian opponent collapsed, with the Serb reaching her fifth Dubai semi-final in eight appearances.

For the 26-year-old, moving ahead in the Gulf would be a dream scenario. The former WTA number one made the final just once, in 2005 against Lindsay Davenport.

'It's been long time since I been in a final,' said Jankovic, who will face off on Friday against Polish fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, a 6-2, 6-1 quarter-final winner over German Sabine Lisicki.

Radwanska duplicated her own semi-final showing from 2010 as she beat the 13th-ranked Lisicki after the German broke as Radwanska served for victory.

But trailing a set and 1-5, Lisicki could not start a fightback, losing serve in the next game to exit. The German entered the field in the spot of second seed and Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, who withdrew ill before the start of play.

Jankovic holds a 2-1 lead over Radwanska in their career series, but lost in the pair's last meeting in Tokyo last September.

'It would be great to get to the finals again and play for the title, but I still have few matches to go,' said Jankovic. 'It's my goal; it's in my mind; I want to try to get after it.'

Jankovic advanced in 90 minutes with four breaks of Stosur, who went 1-3 during her home Australian summer but reversed that trend to post a 7-1 mark prior to her Dubai defeat.

The Australian said that after feeling poorly for much of the week, her condition might have finally caught up with her.

'I definitely didn't play as well today. She served quite well and I felt like I was getting pushed back. I didn't do enough to change things the way that I needed to try and get through this match.

'Sometimes you don't feel good. You can't really use that as an excuse. You're out there to play, and you do your best on the day.'

Third-seeded holder Caroline Wozniacki, the highest-ranked player remaining in the field, was bidding for the semis against Serb Ana Ivanovic in a battle of former number one players while Julia Goerges was hoping to salvage German pride as she faced Daniela Hantuchova.

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