 Jankovic took the $196,900 first prize |
Jelena Jankovic eased to victory over Dinara Safina in the final of the Family Circle Cup in Charleston. The Serbian second seed raced to a 6-2 6-2 triumph against the Russian fourth seed in windy conditions.
She is now set to climb from ninth to seventh in the WTA rankings when they are updated on Monday.
"It was really tough," she said. "I was just trying to put as many balls in the court as I could. We were both fighting. I'm really happy."
Safina took a 2-0 lead in the second set when Jankovic netted a backhand volley to surrender a break in the second game.
But the Serb did not lose another game, breaking Safina three times and holding in the final game when Safina mishit a forehand on the Serbian's second match point.
Jankovic had struggled previously in Charleston, having failed to make it past the second round in four appearances.
She had booked her place in Sunday's final with a 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5) win over Venus Williams.
Safina had an easier passage into their match after Vera Zvonareva retired with an injured wrist in their semi-final with the score at 6-3 0-1.
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 