Jelena Jankovic defeated world number three and second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5 6-1 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and join Justin Henin as the only WTA players who have won three tournaments this year. In January, Jankovic took the Tier IV title in Auckland, then the Tier I in Charleston last month, and today another Tier I in Rome.
Today’s victory takes the 22-year-old Serb to number 4 in the world. In addition, this trophy, being her second on clay this year, establishes her as one of the favorites for Roland Garros.
As for Kuznetsova, this is the fourth final she lost in 2007. The Russian was also runner-up in Doha, Indian Wells, and Berlin.
The third-seeded JJ reached the final of Italian Open by beating Tamira Paszek, Alona Bondarenko, Elena Dementieva, and Patty Schnyder.
After beating Kuznetsova, Jelena was very excited. She said that the victory in Rome means a lot to her; last year, from late January to early May, she hasn’t won a single match and she was thinking about quitting tennis!
