Unseeded Zi Yan upsets top seed Jelena Jancovic

Bangalore, Mar 7 (UNI) In a stunning result, unseeded Zi Yan of China defeated top seed Jelena Jancovic of Serbia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals, while Williams sisters--Venus and Serena-- set up a semifinal clash in the US Dollar 600,000 WTA Bangalore Open here today.

Yan, ranked 54th on the WTA list, played a very resilient and energetic game, showed the Serbian lass the door.

Jelena, who took medical attention following a shoulder pain during the third set, found it hard to come back into the game.

Trailing 5-1 in the decider, though Jelena made her last efforts to make it 5-2 and save the two match points in the eighth game, Yan had the last laugh setting up two match points on the ninth game and forcing the Serbian out of the game.

This was for the second time, Jelena was defeated by Yan.

Earlier in Bangkok Open, Jelena was ousted in similar circumstances after she became fatigue due to heat.

In the first set, the two double faults in the eighth game proved very costly for Jelena, giving Yan a 5-3 lead.

Jelena however showed her class in the second, dominating her opponent from the word go.

She earned service breaks in fourth and sixth games, but dropped her serve in the fifth. However, she reeled off three consecutive winners in the ninth game to level the set scores.

In tomorrow's first semifinal, the unseeded Yan would face fourth seed Patty Schynder.

Earlier, the Williams sisters played some powerful stroke to drub their Russian opponents with ease.

While Venus scalped seventh seed Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 6-3 in 89 minutes, her younger sister Serena took just 58 minutes to decimate unseeded Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-4.

In the other match, Patty Schynder of Sweden also made it to the last four, defeating Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbek 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(1).

''Yan played very well. This shoulder pain is new. In the crucial third set I could not get myself up to the challenging situation. I liked playing in Bangalore. I wish I won here,'' Jelena said after the match.

About her victory, visibly happy Zi Yan said '' I think Jelena was under some kind of pressure. I don't know what to expect from Patty Schynder tomorrow. I haven't played her before. She is strong.

Anyway I will try my level best.'' (Eds pick suitably from the earlier series) UNI RS GL DB215