Jankovic wins at China Open; lone Chinese player left Zheng advances
BEIJING -- Top-seeded Jelena Jankovic defeated Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3, 7-5 Wednesday at the China Open.
Zheng Jie advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland. Zheng is the lone Chinese player after four others had first-round losses.
Daniela Hantuchova outlasted Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 0-6, 7-5.
Jankovic is on course to threaten Serena Williams' hold on the top spot in tennis. She can't overtake Williams if she wins the final Sunday, but it could happen next week when the two meet in Stuttgart, Germany.
With a win in Beijing, Jankovic can reach 4,070 points, just 21 short of Williams.
In men's play, American Sam Querrey defeated Jesse Levine 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4). Ivo Minar beat Lee Hyung-taik 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 and Fernando Verdasco defeated Bobby Reynolds of the U.S. 6-3, 6-3. American Brendan Evans downed Roko Karanusic 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (10).
Top-seeded David Ferrer and No. 2 Andy Roddick play second-round matches Thursday.
In the past three months, Zheng has reached the Wimbledon semifinals and claimed the Olympic bronze medal in doubles with Yan Zi.
"I felt as a Chinese player in an event in China, I should perform well," she said. "This is very important for me."
Zheng reached the semifinals last week in a WTA event in Guangzhou in southern China, but caught a cold in the process.
"I actually thought about withdrawing, but the China Open is in my homeland, so I thought I should stay and keep trying," she said.
After her Wimbledon success, Zheng became a national hero saying she planned to donate her winnings to help survivors of the Sichuan earthquake that killed almost 70,000 in May.
Zheng is from the Sichuan city of Chengdu, but she's not yet returned home.
"As a professional player, I should finish my season first," Zheng said. "I have a few events after this and then I plan to go back and see what I can do for them."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
