Jankovic struggles in heat but wins in three sets

Jelena Jankovic speaks three languages, and is amusing, charming and insightful in all of them.

But Tuesday she had some difficulty getting past the body language barrier. In hot and gusty Ashe Stadium it took Jankovic, the fifth-ranked player in the world, three long sets to eliminate Simona Halep, the 96th ranked player, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

Jankovic seemed to be dragging, and it seemed increasingly difficult to get out of her chair after the changeovers. For someone who has been a consistent contender here and lost the 2008 final to Serena Williams, yesterday was not so much a day of victory as of survival.

"I just said to myself, you know, there are days when you're not going to be feeling the ball, you're not going to be moving your feet," Jankovic said. "On those days, you just really have to fight and really have to try your best and give your maximum and try to get through these kind of matches."

Jankovic won't last long with these kind of matches. She made 48 unforced errors and won only 60 percent of her first serves.

To be fair, Jankovic twisted an ankle in July and didn't have the proper preparation. She won only one match in the three hard court tournaments this summer.

"I twisted my ankle and I was completely unprepared," Jankovic said. "I wasn't able to train. I was moving really badly. But that's past now and I'm healthy.''

Jankovic has the longest active tenure in the top 10 of any women, occupying that lofty aerie since February of 2007. She briefly was No. 1 in the world at the end of the 2008 season, having won four titles but not a Grand Slam. Does she still think she has a Slam in her?

"Yes, I believe I can do it," she said.

She will have to overcome the body language barrier.

Wozniacki wins

In a match that started at 11:51 Tuesday night, No. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki beat American Chelsey Gullickson, 6-1, 6-1. Gullickson, daughter of former Yankees pitcher Bill Gullickson and the reigning NCAA champion from the University of Georgia, played boldly and wasn't run over despite the final score. About 3,000 fans stayed for the match in Ashe Stadium.

Two American women won, Bethanie Mattek-Sands over Anabel Medina Garrigues, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, and Beatrice Capra over Karolina Sprem, 6-1, 6-3. Four other Americans, Jill Craybas, Jamie Hampton, Coco Vandeweghe, and Shelby Rogers, lost.

One top-10 player was upset as eighth-seeded Li Na was knocked out by unseeded Kateryna Bondarenko, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.