Jankovic downs Sharapova to claim Birmingham title

LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) Jelena Jankovic finally ended a losing run against Maria Sharapova to claim her first grasscourt title with a 4-6 6-3 7-5 win in the final of the rain-hit Birmingham Classic today.

After both players had successfully steered past their semi-final opponents earlier in the day, Jankovic overcame a first-set hiccup to beat the top seed.

It was the Serbian second seed's fourth title of the year and she underlined her reputation as an all-court player by adding the Birmingham triumph to her successes in Auckland (hardcourt), Charleston and Rome (both clay).

Before today, Jankovic had lost all three of her meetings against the Russian.

Jankovic beat Italian eighth seed Mara Santangelo 6-1 7-5 in the semis, while Sharapova overwhelmed fifth seed Marion Bartoli 7-5 6-0.

Reuters SBA VP0040