INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) Jelena Jankovic opened her title defense in the BNP Paribas Open on Friday with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Coco Vandeweghe in the second round at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Jankovic, a former No. 1 currently No. 6, has reached at least the semifinals of her past three tournaments after a stretch of six events in which she failed to win consecutive matches. To keep that streak of semifinals alive, Jankovic could have to beat Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round and Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals.
Clijsters, the No. 2 seed who won at Indian Wells in 2003 and 2005, began moving toward what she hopes will be her sixth straight final appearance by overwhelming Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2, 6-0 in 51 minutes.
No. 3 Vera Zvonareva squandered a 5-1 lead in the second set before beating Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 7-6 (4).
In men's first-round play, Canadian Milos Raonic was a 6-2, 7-6 (4) winner over Marsel Ilhan, and Ryan Harrison outlasted Jeremy Chardy 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 6-3.