Jankovic out of Rome Masters

Jelena Jankovic joined top seeds Ana Ivanovic and Serena Williams on the sidelines of the Rome Masters on Thursday, falling 6-1, 7-6 (3) to Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The Serb, who briefly occupied top spot in the WTA rankings at the conclusion of the 2008 tennis season, proved no match for her opponent’s power despite launching a brave fightback in the second set.

“I played what she liked, and, of course, she has more power than me,” Jankovic admitted after the match.

Dinara Safina also came within sight of a quarterfinal exit on Thursday, as Martinez Sanchez put the pressure on in a three set match which Safina eventually won 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

The win set the Russian up with a semifinal clash against Venus Williams, who qualified for the penultimate round of the tournament by defeating Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 6-2.

Victoria Azarenka completed the roster for the semifinals of the 2009 Rome Masters by defeating Kaia Kanepi 7-6 (5), 6-3 in an error-strewn match. Azarenka will face Kuznetsova in her semifinal.