Jelena Jankovic faces rising Slovenian star Polona Hercog for a place in the Monterrey Open semi-finals.
Jankovic has continued her recent good form this week, making light of the quick acclimatisation switch from the Middle East to Mexico. The top seed has progressed largely untroubled into the last four and gained revenge over fifth seed Anastasija Sevastova in Friday's quarter-finals.
Jankovic had lost to Sevastova in the first round of Monterrey last year and with many rating the Latvian as a star of the future, it looked set to be an intriguing re-match. However Jankovic faced few problems until the end when she needed six match points before closing out a 6-1, 7-5 win.
"It's nice to get revenge but I didn't really think about it tonight," Jankovic said afterwards. "This was my second time playing her, and I really wanted to get a win. I'm happy I was able to do that. She's a tough opponent and has been playing really well."
Hercog is a close friend as the two speak similar languages but this will be the first time they have faced each other on the match court. Another Eastern European who's made her mark over the past year, particularly on clay and slow hard courts, she rallied past Olga Govortsova 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a lengthy quarter-final.
Prediction: Jankovic in straight sets
