In a dramatic third round match of the Acura Classic in San Diego, Maria Kirilenko earned the biggest victory of her career with a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 win over second seed Jelena Jankovic. The Russian, unseeded and ranked 42nd in the world, booked her place in the Friday quarterfinals where she will face ninth seed Elena Dementieva.
World No. 3 Jankovic, however, won’t be losing ranking points since she had been sent home in the third round of the Acura Classic in the past two years. Additionally, despite the loss, the Serb has already qualified for the prestigious Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid, together with Justine Henin.