By Chris Oddo | Saturday, May 17, 2014
Flying the flag: Sara Errani downed Jelena Jankovic, 6-3, 7-5, to become the first Italian woman to reach the final in Rome since 1950.
Sara Errani delighted the home crowd with a clutch performance on Saturday at the Foro Italico, nudging past Jelena Jankovic in two tight sets, 6-3, 7-5.
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With the victory Errani becomes the first home-grown woman to reach the final in Rome since 1950. Rafaella Reggi, the last Italian to win the event, won the title in 1985 in Taranto, Italy.
Errani missed on nine of her first ten break points in the match, but when she connected on her fifth break point of Jankovic's third service game to lead 4-2, the Italian had enough cushion to sail away with the opener. She would hold serve in consecutive games, serving the set out to love to take the lead.
Jankovic would do her best to quiet the partisan Italian crowd in the second stanza, as she broke with a trademark down-the-line backhand winner for 3-1, then held serve for a commanding 4-1 lead in set two.
But Errani, buoyed by the feverish enthusiasm of the fans on Court Centrale, dug her heels in to snatch the next four games and a 5-4 lead, behind some timely passing shots and the occasional perfectly executed drop shot.
With her back against the wall, Jankovic would play a fantastic game to stave off Errani, breaking for 5-all, but the Italian would not be denied. Errani would break back immediately and then serve out the match, clinching her spot in the final when a Jankovic backhand sunk into the net.
Errani, who struck 23 winners against a very tidy 11 unforced errors on the afternoon (Jankovic hit 30 winners against a less tidy 28 unforced), notched her second straight win over the Serb with the victory. She will retain her status at the top-ranked Italian as a result of reaching the final.
Jankovic, a two-time Rome champion (2007, 2008), had her best performance in Rome since 2010, when she last played the final.
Errani will play either Serena Williams or Ana Ivanovic in Sunday's final. She is 0-6 vs. Williams, and 2-2 vs. Ivanovic lifetime.