Jelena, Elena to clash in semis on Thursday

Elena Dementieva breezed through to the US Open semifinals along with Jelena Jankovic, who will be her opponent for a final berth.

No. 5 seed Dementieva was the first to reserve a spot in the semis, defeating Patty Schnyder in straight sets, 62 63.

I expected a tough match against her; I was very pleased the way I was playing today," Dementieva said. "We had a big fight in the second set. I lost my serve, so it was a very, very important moment for me to break her again. I'm happy I was able to do that. I'm very excited to be in the semis, but I'm sure I need to improve my game and play a better match if I want to go to the final."

"It feels much better to win in two sets," Dementieva said. "I remember being in the final here before but I had won such tough matches, a few 7-6 in the third, that it was tough physically to be ready to play my best in the final. I spent so many hours on the court. But it's important to win in two sets, especially coming from Beijing. Extra time for recovery is always good."

Jankovic, seeded second, was featured in the first night match, and she outplayed Sybille Bammer in straight sets also, 61 64.

"I'm happy about winning in two sets," Jankovic said. "I feel that everyday I'm playing better and better. I'm moving a lot better and I'm feeling my shots a lot better. That's the most important thing for me right now. I'm just here to play one match at a time, and so I'm happy to be in the semifinals again."

Jankovic is going to play her fifth Grand Slam semifinal on Thursday, and she has a 4-3 lead in head-to-head results against the Russian.

"Jankovic is probably the most consistent player in the tournament," Dementieva said. "She's going to get everything back. She moves unbelievably well on the court and she's pretty solid on the baseline. You really have to go on court and create something. There's no way you can wait for a mistake or just be defensive from the baseline. You need to do something. That's what I would like to try."

"She's a tough player," Jankovic said. "She's very solid. She moves great. It will be a tough match. I have beaten her before, including here two years ago in the quarterfinals. So it will be another experience. I would love to make another step forward and reach my first final of a Grand Slam, and then play on Saturday. I will try really my best, and hopefully I can do it."