Serb Jankovic reaches Miami semis

WASHINGTON, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Serb Jelena Jankovic advanced to the women's semifinals in the Miami Open tennis tournament on Wednesday when Russian Elena Dementieva retired with a back injury trailing 6-3, 3-1.

Dementieva said her back began bothering her on Tuesday, and she called it quits against Jankovic after 58 minutes.

No. 4 Jankovic barely survived her opening match in the tournament. In the third set against Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden, Jankovic overcame a 5-1 deficit, then saved five match points in atiebreaker.

Jankovic had never advanced beyond the third round in five previous appearances in Miami. She's seeking her first tournament title this year, and on Thursday she'll face 19th-seeded Vera Zvonareva, who beat No. 13 Dinara Safina 7-5, 6-4.

Four-time champion Serena Williams will play No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the other semifinal.