October 12, 2008, Moscow, Russia – One of tennis’ top players, Jelena Jankovic, defeated Vera Zvonareva of Russia in a 6-2, 6-4 game on Sunday, receving her third straight title as well as the Kremlin Cup.
Coming off back-to-back wins from the Porsche Grand Prix and the China Open, aimed to get her third straight title during the Kremlin Cup. And she did.
For this season alone, the Kremlin Cup was Jankovic’s fourth title, and it marked her eight title over all. Even at the U.S. Open, Jankovic performed greatly against Serena Williams, even though she did not win.
Zvonareva, ranked No. 9 in the world, had a hard time challenging Jankovic, and in their first set, the game was broken twice.
Jankovic had twice previously defeated Zvonareva, and she knew that despite earlier victories, she would still have to work hard for each point she gained.
As for the match, Jankovic said, “I was really expecting a tough match. I was really focused from the start of the match. I went out there aggressive and really played my game and I was really going after the shots.”
According to Jankovic, she has a rather difficult year, especially with the numerous injuries she obtained in the early part of the season. However, after the Olympics, she said she strove to improve and worked really hard. She said, “I’m close to finishing the year as the No. 1 player in the world, so it’s a really huge achievement for me.”
