Clearly bothered by the wind, Dementieva was unable to outplay Jankovic, who has reached her first major final. "I just was trying
to go for the winner and couldn’t make it," Dementieva said. "I couldn’t close the point."
Jankovic would win the large majority of the long baseline rallies for a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Afterwards in the second semifinal, Russian Dinara Safina broke the American Serena Williams' serve, then held for
a 2-0 lead before her game would fall apart in an all too familiar mix of errors, shouts and racket swipes.
Williams, adding more topspin to her balls than usual, broke back then held for 2 all before taking set one 6-3 after Safina would hit
a forehand into the net.
Safina would display some flashes of brilliance with overhead, forehand and backhand winners. But her high risk game was seemed flat
in the high winds. After her fifth doublefault of the match in going down 1-2 in set two, Safina would yell, "I hate the wind!"
Sensing the finish line, Williams raced to a 5-1 lead before Safina held serve to reach 5-2. After closing out the match 6-3, 6-2
the American apologized at the net to Safina for an earlier ball she'd sent into Safina's chest at the net.
After saying she believed in herself for the championship match, Jankovic conceded that Williams' power would prove tough to match.
"Overall she's, I think, the strongest player on the tour, together with her sister. Nobody has the power that they have."
