Jelena Jankovic exit is first shock of Australian Open

The seventh seed is knocked out in the second-round to China's Peng Shuai, losing 7-6, 6-3.

Jelena Jankovic makes the first big exit from the Australian Open.
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MELBOURNE // China's Peng Shuai knocked seventh seed Jelena Jankovic out of the Australian Open on Thursday, her 7-6, 6-3 second-round win providing the first genuine upset of the week at Melbourne Park.

Serbian Jankovic, a semi-finalist here in 2008, blew a lead of two service breaks in the first set before claiming a third to force a tie-break, which she lost 7-3.

Peng, ranked 54th in the world after struggling with injury last year, broke for a 4-2 lead in the second and served out for victory three games later, dancing around the Hisense Arena court with a huge smile on her face.

Jankovic was once again left ruing her inconsistency after serving up 39 unforced errors against her deceptively hard-hitting opponent.

Peng's triumph continues China's good showing in the women's draw at the Australian Open.

Her compatriots Li Na and Zheng Jie both reached the semi-finals last year. Ninth seed Li reached the third-round on Wednesday with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Evgeniya Rodina of Russia, while Zheng missed the tournament through injury.