French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and former world number one Jelena Jankovic crashed out of Wimbledon on Saturday, while Venus Williams avenged one of the most embarrassing defeats of her career.
Kuznetsova won her second Grand Slam at Roland Garros 21 days ago, but that triumph in Paris must already seem a lifetime ago as unseeded German Sabine Lisicki defeated the fifth seed 6-2, 7-5.
While the Russian was enduring a 24th birthday to forget, sixth seed Jankovic was also on the wrong end of a shock result as American qualifier Melanie Oudin (17) beat the injury-hit Serb 6-7 (8/10), 7-5, 6-2.
One star name to progress was defending champion Williams, a 6-0, 6-4 winner over Carla Suarez Navarro.
The American was unceremoniously bundled out of the Australian Open by unseeded Spaniard Suarez Navarro in the second round in January despite holding a 5-2 lead in the final set.
But Venus, the third seed, made amends in clinical fashion to keep alive her bid to become the first woman to win a hat-trick of Wimbledon singles’ titles since Steffi Graf claimed three in a row from 1991 to 1993.
Venus once again played with her left knee swathed in bandages but was hardly restricted as she eased past Suarez Navarro in one hour and 21 minutes.
The five-time Wimbledon champion has yet to drop a set in three rounds this year and her winning streak at the All England Club has now reached 17 matches.
Williams said: ”I was really enjoying myself out there. She’s a fast and competitive player so I was happy to close it out. When you’re winning at Wimbledon there’s not much better than that.”
Kuznetsova has never been fond of playing on grass and she lived down to her pre-tournament prediction of an early exit.
Lisicki, a 19-year German ranked 41 in the world, wasted four match points before finally claiming the best win of her short career.
Meanwhile, Jankovic, the world number one only last August, was knocked out by Oudin, the world number 124.
Jankovic, who has been struggling with blisters and a broken toenail, was hampered by injury and heat exhaustion during a gruelling match on Court Three.
She called for treatment three times before finally cracking in the final set to continue a disappointing year for the Serb.
Oudin, playing in her first Wimbledon, will face China’s Li Na or 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska in her first Grand Slam fourth round appearance.
”This is my first year in the pros in Wimbledon and I’m actually in the fourth round. It’s unbelievable,” Oudin said. ”I definitely did not see that coming at all.”
Jankovic added: ”After the first set I felt really dizzy and thought I would end up in the hospital.
”I was scared. I felt like a ghost. In the last set I was exhausted and didn’t have the energy to stay in the match.”
While Jankovic struggled, 13th seed Ivanovic showed signs of recapturing her former glories during an impressive 7-5, 6-2 victory over Australian 18th seed Samantha Stosur.
Former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo, seeded 17th, could face world number one Dinara Safina, who plays Kirsten Flipkens later on Saturday, after beating 15th seed Flavia Pennetta 7-5, 6-3.
Caroline Wozniacki, the ninth seed, reached the fourth round for the first time as the Danish teenager defeated Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2, 6-2. – AFP
