Jelena Jankovic of Serbia hits a return to Simona Halep of Romania during the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, August 31, 2010. Jankovic won with 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.[Xinhua/Reuters Photo]

Number four seed Jelena Jankovic survived scare in her first round match against number 96-ranked Romanian Simon Halep, struggling to a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory in the US Open on Tuesday. Jankovic, who reached the final of the Open in 2008, sprained her ankle in July, an injury that kept her schedule and training to a minimum this summer. Still, nobody predicted the difficulty she would have against her first-round opponent, who appeared in just her second career Grand Slam.

The match initially appeared to be a mild test for Jankovic, perhaps the kind of warm-up she would need to play herself into shape after a shaky summer. Since returning from injury, she has won just one match in her three tournaments leading up to the Open.

The Serb went up 3-0, but serving at 3-1, she showed her first signs of vulnerability. She double faulted twice in the fifth game, and committed two backhand errors to give Halep an easy break.

There were six breaks of serve in the first nine games. At 5-4, Jankovic got the seventh and last break to take the set 6-4, showing off her well-regarded retrieving skills and forcing Halep into costly errors.

Halep showed no signs of being intimidated, racing out to a 4-0 lead in the second. While Jankovic fought back, with Halep serving at 5-4, 30-30 the Romanian proved the more aggressive player, hitting a forehand winner up the line to get to set point before closing out the set with an ace.

Jankovic led 3-2 in the third set, but failed to convert on two break-point chances. At 4-4 in the third, it was Halep that pulled off the break, and serving at 5-4, she was two points from victory. However, Jankovic ran Halep from side to side before breaking back to pull even at 5-5.

Simona Halep of Romania reacts to a poor shot against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia during the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, August 31, 2010. [Xinhua/Reuters Photo]

Jankovic held serve to take a 6-5 lead, and a tired Halep made a number of poor errors in the last game, including an ill-timed, missed drop shot. "It was a tough match. It was, you know, my first match here. For me, those first matches are always the toughest. It was really hot and windy," said the Serb.

"I made a lot of errors. I just tried to move on and play the best I could," Jankovic said. "You just have to fight and try your best, give your maximum and get through. It gives you a lot more confidence for the next round."

While Jankovic has struggled lately, she has been having a solid season until injuries derailed her game. Along with the ankle sprain, she had to default in the fourth round at Wimbledon with a back injury. She hasn't defeated a top-25 player since, and has lost twice to players ranked outside the top 100.

What likely gives Jankovic hope here in New York is that many of her fellow top players -- Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams and Samantha Stosur -- have had nagging health issues of their own.

Halep, who won the French Open juniors in 2008, was once ranked No. 1 in the juniors and has shot up the rankings in the past year, breaking into the Women's top 100 for the first time in July. While she failed to qualify for the three hard court summer events she entered leading up to the Open, she proved today, on a very big stage, that she's a player to keep an eye on.