Jelena Jankovic battled through a leg injury at the Hopman Cup on Wednesday 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 that Jankovic had not torn a muscle, she decided to play the deciding mixed doubles, and she and Djokovic won it 5-7, 6-4, 10-4 (super tiebreak) to seal victory in the Group A clash.

"It's a strain. It was really, really painful. I thought I had torn a muscle or something. I have to be ready for Melbourne, which is most important and I don't want to risk any kind of injury."

The Australian Open begins on January 14 and Jankovic admitted that when she suffered the injury she had feared the worst.

"I was really concerned and right away I went to the hospital and got all these tests and I'm really glad that I don't have a torn muscle.

"When I got taped for the doubles, in the beginning I was doing okay but as the match went on longer, I started to have pain in my back. Then it got lower and went all over the place."

Jankovic, who had acupuncture treatment after the mixed doubles, said her lack of preparation after a nose operation at the end of last year meant she had arrived in Perth below full fitness. "I am not really ready," she said. "I only had two weeks before I came here so obviously my body is not in the best shape and the best form.
"I need to do a lot of work to get to where I want to be, to where is my limit and where is my potential. Right now I'm not really feeling that great. I am not really that fit. It's unfortunate that I got this muscle strain today."

"I think I recover quite fast and that's something that's good for me. I will try to do my best to be in good shape. I am really hungry to play matches. I want to be in the best form for the Australian Open.”

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

Though Jankovic's movement was clearly restricted, the Serbian pair broke to lead 3-2 but France hit back and snatched the set with another break in the 12th game. Djokovic and Jankovic then stormed to a 3-0 lead in the second set and held on to level the match, before romping through the tiebreak 10-4. Victory for Serbia will ensure them top spot in Group A and send them through to Friday's final of the eight-nation mixed team event.

Should Serbia lose to Argentina, then Taiwan could yet reach the final after they upset the Argentines. World number 157 Hsieh Su-wei came from a set and 5-2 down to beat Gisela Dulko, ranked 120 places above her, 3-6, 7-6, 7-5. Lu Yen-hsun, ranked 110, then clinched a famous victory for Taiwan when he hammered world number 20 Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-4.

The Taiwan pair then joined forces to beat Chela and Dulko in the mixed doubles.