Jankovic wins as Zheng restores home pride

BEIJING (AFP) - World number two Jelena Jankovic continued her bid for the top women's ranking with an opening win in the China Open Wednesday as local favourite Zheng Jie restored wounded local pride.

Top seed Jankovic will play Daniela Hantuchova in the quarter-finals in Beijing after beating Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3, 7-5 on a rain-interrupted day.

A tournament win here for Jankovic, who had a brief spell as world number one in August, would take her to within a handful of points of Serena Williams at the top of the women's game.

The Serbian was pushed hard by her powerful opponent in a hard-fought second set but eventually prevailed.

In a see-saw match earlier in the evening Hantuchova, the Slovakian seventh seed, beat Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 0-6, 7-5.