Doha, Qatar - Off-form Jelena Jankovic lost serve five times as the former number one took a 6-2, 6-3 loss Tuesday against Victoria Azarenka to start the Sony-Ericsson Championships on a miserable note. The Serb fell to 0-1 in the White group, with Miami winner Azarena taking command after her victory in less than 90 minutes.
"I basically gave her everything," said Jankovic. "I beat myself. I was just a shadow of myself.
"Sometimes you want to play your best but it just doesn't happen. I just hope I can play better tomorrow, and I'll keep trying my best in this whole competition."
Azarenka was having none of the head games: "I'm glad she wasn't in the mood, it worked out fine for me.
"I haven't played in a tournament for a while," said the second-round loser in Beijing a fortnight ago. "I felt pretty good out there."
Last week in Moscow, Jankovic scraped into the last spot in the eight-woman field at the year-end event, but had little to show on court.
Azarenka took her second win from five matches against Jankovic as the Serb committed 33 unforced errors. The 20-year-old winner, ranked sixth, served out the victory without an ace but lost serve only once.
The rival Maroon group was getting underway, with both Williams sisters on court playing Russians. Serena was facing Svetlana Kuznetsova while Venus was playing Elena Dementieva.
