Bartoli knocks out Jankovic in stop-start match

LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) Third seed Jelena Jankovic followed champion Amelie Mauresmo out of Wimbledon yesterday when Marion Bartoli profited from some sloppy strokes to dismiss her 3-6 7-5 6-3 in a match interrupted four times by rain.

The Serb has been one of the most consistent players this year and last month reached the French Open semi-finals but against the French 18th seed she seemed to lack conviction at the net and repeatedly struggled to hold serve.

''I think at the end I was a little stronger physically than her.

She looked a little tired,'' Bartoli told a news conference after the match that spanned nearly six hours because of the weather.

''She didn't really know what tactic to use against me at the end is what I felt. She was playing just the ball.'' The 22-year-old said reaching her first grand slam quarter-final had not come as a shock.

''It's not a big surprise for me. I'm a top 20 player -- I'm not 200 in the world,'' the world number 19 said.

She faces 31st seed Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands in the next round and said she knew little about her.

''I never played against her. I never saw her play,'' she said.

''But I know we have to be really focusing tomorrow because ... she won some great matches.'' Jankovic broke four times in the first set but dropped serve twice and her service game problems continued into the second when the French 18th seed broke in the third, fifth and seventh.

Bartoli served for the second set three times, eventually getting the better of her opponent with a crosscourt backhand that Jankovic could only hit into the net.

The Frenchwoman's groundstrokes seemed to gain power in the third set, while Jankovic missed some easy smashes and had trouble finding her range.

The upset was finally complete when Jankovic sent a forehand wide.

REUTERS TB RAI0526