WTA

Jelena Jankovic continued her dominance over Tsvetana Pironkova to advance to the main draw of the Qatar Total Open following a tense 6-1, 6-7, 6-4 victory in a match lasting over two and a half hours.

Former World No.1 Jankovic, surprisingly playing in qualifying for the first time since Filderstadt in October 2004, came into the match boasting an impressive 6-0 head-to-head against the Bulgarian.

And she wasted little time in slipping into gear, three service breaks sealing a rapid 6-1 set as Pironkova, with 13 unforced errors, struggled to find her range and timing in chilly conditions.

The Serbian's focus then momentarily left her after calling for her coach, and Pironkova broke first in the second set.

A clearly irate Jankovic again called for her coach at 4-1 down and it seemed to have the desired effect, the Serb breaking back to get back on level terms and force a tiebreak.

Jankovic gained the first mini-break and looked to be firmly on course for the main draw but squandered two match points at 6-4 down to lose the next four points and with it the set.

Having missed out on two match points, Jankovic then wasted four break points in a marathon game lasting just over 13 minutes before regaining her focus to come out on top of a topsy-turvy final set and notch a seventh win over her game Bulgarian opponent.