Jelena Jankovic thought about giving up tennis and going back full time to university in Belgrade after a terrible start to 2006 when she lost 10 matches straight in five months. But the 21-year-old daughter of two economists staged a remarkable turnaround to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final and finish the year ranked 12th with a 44-17 record. She beat Spain’s Virgina Ruano Pascual 6-2, 6-2. The win helped her secure a No. 11 seeding in Melbourne, and put to rest thoughts of ending her part-time studies while on tour for full-time classes at Megatrend University in her hometown of Belgrade, Serbia. “I was thinking before, when I was not playing well and (not) enjoying playing that I will . concentrate on my studies and do it on a regular basis,” she said. “But now I am back on the court and really enjoying my game and having a lot of fun.”Fine example Grand Slam officials appear to be clamping down on coaching during matches, with five of 16 fines levied so far at the Australian Open involving infractions for assistance for players from off the court. Coaching also incurred the biggest fines — two women and three men each hit $2,000. Marat Safin was among the 16 fined, but it had nothing to do with coaching. Not surprisingly, the often volatile Russian was fined $500 for racket abuse — and not for the first time in his career. Safin, the 2005 Australian Open champion, banged his racket around a few times during his first-round, five-set win over Benjamin Becker of Germany.
