By Christopher N. Rourke
October 31 2004

Amelie Mauresmo of France defeats Serbian Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Mauresmo will now play the ninth-seeded Elena Bovina, who out steadied and outmanoeuvred fellow Russian Nadia Petrova 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-3), in Sunday's final. The warm-up for this match including more fluid hitting from Jelena Jankovic, though her serve clearly lacked the pace of Mauresmo’s.

After the effervescent, at times explosive, display against Zvonareva in yesterday's quarterfinal much was expected of Jankovic today; there was palpable sense of anticipation among the Linz crowd.

However, Jankovic looked shaky in the first game on Mauresmo's serve unable to produce the shots that took her this far in the tournament, whilst Mauresmo quickly found her rhythm. Jankovic did contrive her first winner, on her own serve, at 0-15 but then some costly errors, combined with Mauresmo’s sinuous movement undid Jankovic, who found everything coming right back to her with terrific depth. Jankovic produced another backhand winner to take Mauresmo to 0-30 in the third game but Mauresmo managed to hold to 2-0, through clever mixing of shots off the ground.

Finally, in the fourth game Jankovic strung enough points together to re-awaken the crowd to her attacking game and wins hers service to 15. In the fifth game an ace appears to pull Mauresmo out of danger, to 40-30 before Jankovic hit a forehand winner down-the-line to force a deuce game; on the final break point Jankovic sent an excellent first serve flying back to Mauresmo, achieving an immediate break.

After being threatened once again by Mauresmo, who achieved another break point on her serve, Jankovic produces an excellent pass to fend off the break, backing it up with quite brilliant movement and shot selection to hold to 3-3.

Jankovic unleashed crunching forehand return in the seventh game but Mauresmo held comfortably, as Jankovic's winning shots from yesterday landed just wide today. These errors allowed Mauresmo some unearned points but Jankovic dug in to hold for 4-4. Some spectacular defending allowed Jankovic to reach 0-30 on Mauresmo's serve, then break point before Mauresmo pulled back to deuce.

Mauresmo finally succumbed to the pressure, allowing Jankovic to serve out the set. This became a long, seesawing game on Jankovic's serve, in which Mauresmo yet again reached break point. However, the possibility of a break was snuffed out by Jankovic's down-the-line backhands, and a series of cleverly executed crosscourt forehands, that brought her to set point; 6-4 Jankovic.

At the beginning of the second set a combination of loose shots and a brilliantly constructed net forays brought Jankovic to 0-40 on the Mauresmo serve, before Mauresmo moved up the court herself, hitting some stunning volleys to pull the game back to deuce. One again, Jankovic fought hard, breaking after an arduously competitive long game. Mauresmo, clearly aware of danger at this point broke right back in the second game. By the third game Jankovic had lost some consistency off the ground, Mauresmo holding for 2-1.

In the fourth game Jankovic tried to re-assert herself, only find herself pegged back once again, before holding with a winning forehand volley. In the fifth game a magnificent pass brought Jankovic to 15-40 on the Mauresmo serve, Mauresmo fought back to deuce but errors from Jankovic allowed Mauresmo to hold once again - though only by a very thin thread, having come close to double-faulting on break point. In the next game, Jankovic's costly errors, partly elicited through Mauresmo's excellent depth, allowed her to fall rapidly to 0-40 before Mauresmo secured her break.

Mauresmo then held comfortably for a decisive 5-2 lead but still didn't seem to have a satisfactory answer for Jankovic's ambitious game: you felt, had the errors had not crept in, Jankovic would at least be at parity in the set. Jankovic, to give her credit, did contain the errors to hold serve, making Mauresmo serve out for the set, which she did, applying sustained pressure without ever being able to overwhelm her opponent: 6-3 Mauresmo.

Jankovic received a medical time-out at the end of the third set, the trainer rubbing and manipulating her arms and shoulders, though the exact nature of the injury seemed unclear. When play resumed Mauresmo immediately broke serve, as Jankovic's resistance appeared to have faded. Mauresmo held serve after an incredibly long rally, which contained just about every groundstroke imaginable, leaving both players winded. Jankovic, who by this point was clearly suffering, looking tired and weary, conceded serve for the second time in the set.

Though she tried to attack again off Mauresmo's serve Jankovic could no longer run powerfully hit shots down, and Mauresmo held for a 4-0 lead. Seemingly down and out Jankovic held serve but when Mauresmo again held for a 5-1 lead there app reared no way back for Jankovic. Mauresmo raced to 15-40 off the Jankovic serve; Jankovic bravely pulled it back to deuce but could do nothing more. Two points later, Mauresmo arrived at her place in the final with a 4-6 6-3 6-1 win over Jankovic. Thus, in a seesawing match, the first set and a half being of very high quality, the most consistent player outlasted the more ambitious.

Mauresmo didn't give her best out on court today - but in reality she wasn't allowed to. Although her play did not come close the sustained brilliance she showed in her quarter final match against Zvonareva, Jankovic seemed unfazed by the big match situation, equipping herself extraordinarily well, playing against a vastly more experienced opponent. For that she deserves rich credit.