Tennis: Martic stuns Jankovic to reach Malaysian Open final

KUALA LUMPUR: Croatia's Petra Martic battled for over three hours Sunday to defeat former world number one Jelena Jankovic and make it to the finals of the rain-interrupted BMW Malaysian Open.

The fifth seed will face Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei -- the first Asian to reach the final in Malaysia -- in the title decider later Sunday after battling to a 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) victory.

The two finalists will both be chasing their first WTA singles title.

Originally scheduled for Saturday, the Martic-Jankovic semifinal was postponed due to heavy rain.

Martic had a mixed day with her service, raining down aces but also committing nine double faults. Jankovic also struggled with her serve with nine double faults of her own.

Both players had opportunities to finish the game but were hampered by unforced errors. In the end, it was Martic's calm under pressure that earned her a ticket to the final.

Jankovic, the number two seed, reached the semifinals Saturday without having to pick up her racquet after Japan's Ayumi Morita pulled out injured.

Top seed and world number five Agnieszka Radwanska pulled out Friday due to injury after a string of rain delays caused a schedule pile-up that forced her to face two opponents the day before. (AFP)