Coming into the third round, no competitor at Wimbledon was fresher and playing better than Petra Kvitova: the Czech had surrendered only three games in her first two matches, been on court scarcely an hour and a half. Jelena Jankovic, meanwhile, had been given a proper runaround in a pair of nail-biting three-setters. She had already played for three-times longer than her opponent. But Jankovic upset the form book – and all logic, really – to defeat the defending champion and No2 seed 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
This was a result that nobody saw coming and one that seemed impossible for most of the first two sets. Kvitova, twice a Wimbledon winner, has the most feared serve in the women’s game and, on grass at least, the most punishing ground strokes. Against Jankovic, the No28 seed, who has not been a serious contender in grand slams for almost five years, Kvitova was a set and a break up and looked like she would be back in the locker room within an hour.
“Petra was playing so well for the first two sets, I just tried to hang in there,” said Jankovic, who smiled and jigged at the end almost as if she had won the tournament. “But this is what sport is about. I’m so happy.”
Kvitova, for her part, was shell-shocked. “If I knew what happened, I would tell you,” she said, shaking her head. “But really I’m not sure what happened out there.”
Jankovic could certainly have been forgiven for wondering if her finest days were behind her. The 30-year-old Serb is probably best remembered by British fans for her mixed-doubles partnership with Jamie Murray, which resulted in them winning the Wimbledon title in 2007. Much has changed since then: Jankovic was the world No1 for short spells in 2008 and 2009 but her ranking has been sliding inexorably for a while. She has not had a really strong grand slam result since reaching the semi-final at Roland Garros in 2010. She is coached by her older brother Marko, and many watchers felt that relationship had run its course.
Kvitova, in contrast, has been serene this week and the 25-year-old was strongly favoured to win her third Wimbledon title. This led to a feeling of inevitability when the match began on Centre Court, the crowd appearing at first to consider it a comedown after King Roger and a warm-up for Andy Murray. The Royal Box had four people in it for most of the first set and there were large expanses of green leather, even in the cheap seats.
On court, though, the atmosphere was more tense. Kvitova has lost twice to Jankovic in six matches and clearly considers her a dangerous opponent. When she broke the Serb’s serve or held on to a service game of her own, Kvitova let out a primal yelp. She took the first set with a single break and Centre Court wondered as one if there was time for a Pimm’s before Murray.
But, in a nonsensical second set, it turned out Kvitova was right to be concerned. The Czech broke early and was serving brilliantly. When she strikes the ball as she was in those service games, it is hard to imagine how anyone could unpick it. At the top of the ball toss, her opponent is still none the wiser about where she is going to direct it. Add to that the power and swing she generates, plus the fact that – as with all lefties – she is naturally dominant serving to the “advantage” side of the court, where most game points and break points are contested.
Against Jankovic, she ruthlessly targeted her forehand wing, knowing that the Serb’s double-fisted backhand is a much more reliable shot. And the plan was working perfectly. But then, with all the likelihood of a meteor shaped like Greg Rusedski’s head smashing into Henman Hill, Jankovic broke. Suddenly, Kvitova was serving to stay in the set. The pressure told and Jankovic broke again to take the match into a decider.
In the third set – after disappearing for an eight-minute “comfort break” to change her clothes and to try to rationalise how she was playing – Kvitova continued to unravel. Jankovic said afterwards that, from this moment on, she was never in doubt that she would prevail. Kvitova’s first serve went to bits and Jankovic was boosted by the crowd, which she had succeeded in wooing while her opponent was in the bathroom. The set went with serve early on but Kvitova was on the brink.
And – after perhaps the most idiotic challenge in history from Kvitova in the previous game: essentially, she questioned a line call on a point she had already won – she buckled when she served to stay in the match. The queen was dead, long live the old queen.
Jankovic now faces Agnieska Radwanska in the next round and she is already wondering if this might be a genuine comeback. “God knows, anything can happen,” she said, beaming deliriously. “Beating her gives me a lot of confidence.”
