Jelena Jankovic will meet American No. 2 Christina McHale in the third round of the Australian Open

You can watch and bet on Jankovic v McHale live for free at bet365 > live tennis

Jelena Jankovic faced an unexpectedly stiff resistance from Kai-Chen Chang in round two of the Australian Open, but she held her nerve to clinch a 6-4, 6-2 victory. The Serb crucially turned things round in the first set after Chang had broken her serve. Jankovic will now meet American youngster Christina McHale in round three.

McHale ousted Marina Erakovic in the second round in three sets, coming back from a set down to win the match. She feels that an adjustment in her strategy gave her the edge. “I knew from the beginning that she liked to run around her backhand to hit her forehand,” said McHale. “Anytime I hit anything down the middle she was striking it really well with her forehand.”

“I tried to keep it away from the middle and I think I did that better in the third set and I was able to move her more,” she continued. “It was a really tough match, she started off playing right from the first point, she was playing well and I just hung in there and waited for my opportunity.”

McHale can’t expect to find many faults in Jankovic’s game. The former world No. 1 should have the upper hand here, and her experience at this level should give her a crucial edge.