Jelena Jankovic stuns defending champ Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon
LONDON — The defending champion is out at Wimbledon.
Petra Kvitova lost on Saturday after leading by a set and a break, a 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 defeat at the hands of former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic on Centre Court. Here's how it went down.
Scoreline: No. 28 seed Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) def. No. 2 seed Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
A day after top seed Serena Williams barely escaped an upset on this same court,second-seeded Kvitova wasn't able to wriggle free herself, losing her form midway through the match and never recovering it.
What it means: Kvitova thrives on grass, and her exit further decimates the bottom half of the women's draw, where fifth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki is the highest-ranked player still alive. Third-seeded Simona Halep was bundled out in the first round.
It's a vastly disappointing result for Kvitova, who came to Wimbledon without a grass-court warm-up event under her belt having withdrawn at Eastbourne due to illness.
Jankovic, on the other hand, celebrated as though she had won the tournament, the former world No. 1 getting a warm reception from the Centre Court crowd at a tournament she's never exactly flourished at. She matches her best result by making the fourth round, having done so 2006-08 and again in 2010.
It's there that she'll meet No. 13 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, a 2012 Wimbledon finalist. Radwanska leads their head-to-head series 5-2, though they've never met on grass.
How it happened: Kvitova led by a set and 3-1, having scorched through her first two matches as well. But Jankovic began to turn the tables slowly, evening things at 5-all and then capturing the second on a Kvitova error.
In the third, there was little to separate the two, but Kvitova looked rushed and bothered, never one to be a fan of the heat. Jankovic ripped a patented backhand return on match point, sending her past the defending champ.
Key stat: Kvitova won more points — 85 to 84 — than Jankovic, but her 21 unforced errors didn't help, particularly 16 of them in the second set. Jankovic did her part to stay in this match, however, making Kvitova work for her points and, eventually, wearing her down.
What she said: "I'm overwhelmed. I'm so excited. My heart is pumping," Jankovic said on BBC after the win. "Playing on Centre Court and being out there against the defending champion was unbelievable. I'm really happy to win this match. I'm so glad I was able to win against a two-time Wimbledon champ. I lost to her last time, but I've beaten her before and I knew I could.
"Beating her gives me so much confidence. Hopefully I can keep on going."
Kvitova told reporters: "I was really trying, but there were just bad moments today. ... To lose in the third round and not be in the second week of my favorite tournament is really sad. I don't know what I can say. She played really well."
Follow Nick McCarvel on Twitter @NickMcCarvel.
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