WTA Cincinnati: Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic Advance To Final

WTA Cincinnati: Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic Advance To Final:
CINCINNATI -- After their respective wins in Saturday night's semifinals, No. 4 Maria Sharapova and No. 13 Jelena Jankovic will meet Sunday at 4 p.m. (on ESPN2) in the final of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.Sharapova, the 2010 runner-up in Cincinnati, booked her spot in the final first, defeating compatriot No. 2 Vera Zvonareva 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Sharapova had a difficult time finding any sort of rhythm on her groundstrokes in the first set, making errors early in points and allowing Zvonareva to dictate play. But she found her rhythm after a visit from coach Thomas Hogstedt between the first and second sets, and with some improved serving, dug out the second and third sets.Jelena Jankovic, the 2009 champion in Cincinnati, had a somewhat easier time in her semifinal, beating No. 9 Andrea Petkovic 7-6(4), 6-1. Petkovic partially tore her meniscus in her quarterfinal match against Nadia Petrova, and worried that she had re-injured her ACL, an injury that had kept her out for eight months in 2008. But though her leg was thoroughly mummified with tape, Petkovic played and moved well, forcing Jankovic to play some of her best tennis to win the first set. Jankovic cruised in the second set, showing vintage form with the combination of defense and counter-punching shotmaking that took her to WTA No. 1 in 2008.The final between Sharapova and Jankovic should be a fun one. Sharapova leads their head-to-head 5-1, and the pair's animosity toward one another dates back to their childhood days playing at Nick Bolletieri's academy in Florida.