Tennis: Jelena Jankovic battled through a leg injury at the Hopman Cup in Perth yesterday to give Serbia a 2-1 victory over France, putting them on course for a place in the final.

Taiwan caused a huge shock when they beat Argentina 3-0 in the night match to keep alive their own slim hopes of qualifying.

Most of the drama surrounded Jankovic, who handed France an early lead when she withdrew after only a game and a half of her match with Tatiana Golovin because of an injury to the top of her right leg.

Novak Djokovic pulled top seeds Serbia level with a confident 6-3 6-3 victory over Arnaud Clement.

After a scan revealed Jankovic had not torn a muscle, she played the mixed doubles, and she and Djokovic won it 5-7 6-4 10-4 (super tiebreak) to seal the Group A clash.

"I stretched to hit a backhand . . . and that's where I felt really sharp pain," Jankovic said. "It was like somebody put a knife in my glute . . . I thought I had torn a muscle or something. I have to be ready for (the Australian Open) and I don't want to risk any kind of injury."

The 20-year-old Djokovic, who will be one of the favourites for the Australian Open later this month, cruised to victory over Clement.

"Today I was performing really well," he said. "I think what decided our match was my serve. I think it was like never before."

Jankovic said she would undergo more treatment before deciding whether to play against Argentina in their final Group A match today.

Victory for Serbia will ensure them top spot in Group A and send them through to tomorrow's final of the eight-nation mixed-team event.

Should Serbia lose to Argentina, Taiwan could yet reach the final after they upset the Argentinians.

Taiwan take on France in their remaining match today.

In India Russian number two Mikhail Youzhny overcame early-season rust to beat unseeded Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-5 1-6 6-2 and reach the third round of the Chennai Open.

Defending champion Xavier Malisse of Belgium continued his impressive comeback from a long injury lay-off, upstaging the Austrian Jurgen Melzer 7-6, 6-2 to set up a clash with the Russian.

Unseeded Malisse, whose dream start to 2007 turned sour following a serious wrist injury that left him ranked 112th in the world, showed his class to oust the sixth seed.

Fourth seed Youzhny, the world number 19, made a sluggish start and had to dig deep in the first set after his 97th ranked French rival raced to 5-0.

Youzhny, who featured in Russia's Davis Cup final loss to the US in December, blamed the break coming into the tournament.

"I'm still not 100 per cent," he told reporters. "I'm trying to recover my best game but sometimes I'm not fast enough. That is why my game is up and down."

Meanwhile second seed Paul-Henri Mathieu fended off big-serving Australian Chris Guccione 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International.

Frenchman Mathieu looked in real trouble when he lost the first set to Guccione, who hammered a total of 24 aces. But he bounced back to set up a clash with the Australian wildcard Joseph Sirianni, who had won only one ATP Tour match before this week but upset Sam Querrey of the US 6-7, 6-2, 6-3.

German Benjamin Becker eased past the American Michael Russell 6-4, 6-4 and will play Michael Llodra in the last eight after the Frenchman beat the Russian Evgeny Korolev 7-6, 6-3.

Today, top seed Lleyton Hewitt faces the Argentinian Jose Acasuso in a second-round match.

In Doha Andy Murray recovered from a dreadful start to beat the veteran Rainer Schüttler 1-6 6-0 6-1 and progress to the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open.

After starting the season in good form in the first round, the British number one was awful in the first set as his German opponent took full advantage.

But with Schüttler appearing to tire, Murray raised his game to see off the ATP's 99th-ranked player.

The world number 11 will play Thomas Johansson in the quarter-finals following the Swede's 6-3 7-5 win over Michael Berrer.

And the former world number one Lindsay Davenport of the US overcame a mid-match lapse before claiming her place in the quarter-finals of the Auckland Classic.

Playing only her fourth tournament after taking a year out to give birth to her first child, Davenport beat the fifth seed, Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, 6-1, 4-6, 6-0.

Davenport, who will now play Italian Sara Errani, has now won 15 of her 16 matches since her return.

Top seed Vera Zvonareva, the runner-up in each of the past two years, had no trouble booking her quarter-final berth, beating Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden 6-2, 6-3.

France's Amelie Mauresmo continued her preparations for the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-4 win over her compatriot Nathalie Dechy to reach the last eight of the Australian Hardcourt Championships. The former world number one, playing in her first tournament since October after suffering a shoulder injury, was too strong for Dechy throughout as the sixth seed set up a quarter-final clash with Patty Schnyder of Switzerland.

Defending champion Dinara Safina of Russia battled into the last eight with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win over another Italian, Flavia Pennetta.