Tokyo, Japan (My Sportsbook) - Serbian Jelena Jankovic and Russian Maria Sharapova, a pair of former world top-ranked players, reached the final at the $2 million Pan Pacific Open. The seventh-seeded Jankovic downed 15th seed Li Na of China, 6-4, 6-3, while Sharapova took out 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 Friday on the hardcourts at Ariake Colosseum. Sharapova won the title here in 2005 and is going after her first title of the year and 20th of her career. Jankovic has two championships this year and 11 lifetime. Sharapova leads the all-time series, 4-1, but the two have split a pair of meetings in title matches. Sharapova won the final of a tournament in Birmingham, England in 2005, but two years later Jankovic came back to win the same event, beating Sharapova in the championship match. This week's titlist will take home $350,000. |
