Jankovic wins in Birmingham

For a while, it looked like there would be no winner at the dfs Classic in Birmingham, so many days were wiped out by rain. But the players doubled up, and somehow, there was a final today between Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic, which Jankovic won, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Jankovic beat serve-and-volley expert Mara Santangelo in her semifinal, and Sharapova beat Marion Bartoli, who took out Daniela Hantuchova in her quarterfinal. Sharapova, by the way, defeated Jankovic in the 2005 Birmingham final.

The dfs Classic is a Tier III tournament, but it attracts Tier I competitors because it is one of the few grass court tournaments in existence, and the players want to get used to grass before Wimbledon begins. Next is a Tier II tournament, the International Women's Open in Eastbourne, where qualifying is going on now.