January 19, 2008	Saturday	Muharram 09, 1429

MELBOURNE, Jan 18: Serbian third seed Jelena Jankovic admitted she was puzzled at her Australian Open form slump after battling to a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 third round win on Friday over Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano.

It was the second time Jankovic has played a tough three-setter in this year’s tournament, yet no other top 10 seed has dropped a set in the opening three rounds.

The 22-year-old said her fitness was “not all that great” and she briefly lost focus against Razzano, but still struggled to put her finger on the cause of her lacklustre form at the season-opening Grand Slam.

“I have no idea what it is,” she said. “I should have finished in two sets but completely lost my concentration at the end of the second and got very tired.

Jankovic, renowned as one of the hardest workers in the women’s game, was also unhappy about her listless demeanour against Razzano.

She ruled out heat as the cause of her malaise, saying both players on the court had to deal with the same conditions.

In the end, it was an umpire who unwittingly provided motivation for Jankovic to shake off her stupor and win the match against Razzano.

The official cautioned her mother for coaching from the sidelines in Serbian, prompting an angry Jankovic to rouse herself and dominate the final set.

Jankovic contested 20 more matches than any other woman on tour in 2007 but slipped to six straight defeats as she ended the year exhausted.

Her Australian Open preparation was also disrupted when underwent nasal surgery in November for a sinus problem she said was leaving her short of breath during matches.—AFP