MELBOURNE, Jan 14, 2008 - Jelena Jankovic's prayers were answered when she survived a major scare at the Australian Open Monday, saving three match points before overcoming Austrian Tamira Paszek 2-6, 6-2, 12-10.

　　The highly-fancied third seed, who enjoyed a rapid rise through the women's rankings in 2007, had trouble coping with the ferocity of her 17-year-old opponent, describing the match as the most dramatic of her career.

　　She eventually won after a marathon three hours and nine minutes and a monumental third set battle where neither player could hold their serve or find the killer instinct.

　　"I was praying actually, I have to be honest. I was praying, 'Please, God, help me get out of the situation," said the Serb.

　　"I was just trying to stay positive somehow and I found a way to win.

　　"It was unbelievable, when I was down those match points, and I was really in some tough points, and I was maybe lucky a few times. But overall, a win is a win."

　　Jankovic's game was riddled with mistakes in the first two sets and she finished with 66 unforced errors in the match.

　　She gave away the first set 2-6 but got back into her stride by taking the second.

　　The 22-year-old's characteristic vigour came to the fore in a thrilling third set when she fought back from 4-1 down, saving a break point that would have made it 5-1. She levelled at 5-5.

　　Paszek, ranked 39, broke again for 6-5 but the big-match nerves failed her when she missed a glorious chance to end the match, firing a standard backwide wide to allow the Serb to level at 6-6.

　　Under blazing sun, Paszek, who made the semi-final at the Auckland Classic this month, once again broke before Jankovic did the same.

　　Both players were feeling the pace with Jankovic receiving treatment for a lower back problem and Pasnek leaving the court for a left hip injury.

　　The match looked like it was never going to end before Jankovic finally ground down her plucky opponent to live another day.

　　"I feel okay now, just the lower part hurts a bit," she said, revealing her back had been stiff but improved after she took painkillers.

　　"But mentally I really am happy, so that's the most important thing.

　　"When you get through these kind of matches, I didn't play well, I'm not happy with that part, but just mentally, finding a way to win and hanging in there in those tough situations is what I'm really proud of."

　　Jankovic, who won the junior title here in 2001, had a breakthrough year in 2007, with four title wins and a semi-final appearance at the French Open.

　　She did it through a mixture of talent and persistence, contesting 20 more matches than any other woman on tour as she amassed a 72-25 win-loss record.

　　But the powerful right-hander slipped to six straight defeats as she ended 2007 exhausted, admitting she could not sustain such an effort this year and would instead concentrate on major tournaments.

　　She picked up a thigh injury at the Hopman Cup in Perth earlier this month and chose not to play in her women's singles match in the final against the United States.

　　She will next face Romania's Edina Gallovits.