‘It’s Japan open, not Australian’
After her third win over a Japanese opponent in three rounds, Jelena Jankovic felt like rattling off a few jokes about Japan. It’s like “I’m playing the Japanese Open. It’s not the Aussie Open for me,” Jankovic laughed, when the issue first came up during her on-court interview. The former No. 1-ranked Jankovic beat Kurumi Nara 6-4, 7-5 in the third round Saturday. It followed her wins over Misaki Doi and Ayumi Morita. “Of course, I’m not going to get a visa for Japan next time I have to play there,” Jankovic said, drawing laughs from the crowd. “I beat three Japanese in three rounds. I’m sorry Japan,” said Jankovic, who faces Simona Halep of Romania in the next round. “I look forward to playing some other player from somewhere else next.”
Jankovic praised 74th-ranked Nara, who was making her singles debut at the Australian Open. “Sometimes I think a point is over and the ball is coming back,” said Jankovic. “She’s just so fast. It’s amazing how fast she is.” All the effort built up her appetite, she added. “It was not easy to get through, maybe I can now go to have some sushi,” she laughed, before moving on to poke a little fun at herself. Asked what fans might not know about her, the No. 8-seeded Jankovic said that her slicked back ponytail was the result of a lot of hairspray. “It’s like cement,” she said. “People think, ‘Oh, your hair is so nice and in order.’ But if you touch it you probably break your fingers.”
She also has a shoe fetish. “I just built a huge closet,” she said, estimating she owns about a hundred pairs. “It’s like big room just to put all these shoes.”
Spanish delight
Nobody is more surprised by the success of Roberto Bautista Agut than the 25-year-old himself. First, the 62nd-ranked Spaniard staged the biggest upset of the tournament with a second-round win Thursday over No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion. It was his first win over a top 10 player. He followed up his success on Saturday by beating No. 27 Benoit Paire of France, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4, to win a spot in the fourth round. “I never thought I was going to be in the fourth round of a Grand Slam,” he said after the match.
SHARAPOVA REPORTING FROM SOCHI
Maria Sharapova will trade her tennis racket for a microphone in a few weeks to join NBC for the Winter Olympics in her childhood home.
“Everyone seems to think I will be commentating on winter sports. I’m not a bobsledding expert,” Sharapova told reporters. “I will confirm I won’t be commentating.” The four-time Grand Slam champion lived in Sochi until she was 6 and still has family and friends in the area. She was Russia’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2012 london Olympics, where she won a silver medal.
“I’m going to be showcasing the city of Sochi to a worldwide audience,” she said. “I’m going to be with a few different co-hosts around the city, in the village and then I’m going to be doing a few segments in the studio.” The opening ceremony in Sochi is Feb. 7.
But first she’ll focus on her tennis. Sharpova beat Alize Cornet 6-1, 7-6 (6) in the third round Saturday and next faces No. 20 Dominika Cibulkova.