TENNIS NEWS:FORMER WORLD number one Amelie Mauresmo survived a brave challenge from fellow Frenchwoman Alize Cornet before prevailing 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Kremlin Cup yesterday.

Mauresmo, who has dropped outside of the top 20 this season after being plagued by injuries and poor form, was trailing 4-3 in the final set but won the last three games to secure her first win since reaching the fourth round of the US Open.

Both players struggled to hold their serve on the fast indoor surface of the Olympic sports complex in Moscow but Mauresmo's greater experience gave her the edge in the decider.

The unseeded 29-year-old, who reached the final here in 2003, will face the in-form Russian second seed Dinara Safina in the second round of the €1.7 million tournament.

The top four seeds, Jelena Jankovic, Safina, Elena Dementieva and Ana Ivanovic, received byes into the second round. The women's field is the strongest in the Kremlin Cup's 19-year history, with eight of the world's top 10 players taking part. Only world number two Serena Williams and number six Maria Sharapova are absent because of injury.

Meanwhile Jelena Jankovic has been officially confirmed as the world number one, dislodging Serena Williams from the top of the rankings.

This marks the second stint at the summit for Jankovic, who also held the spot for one week in August. Williams had held the honour for the last four weeks after defeating Jankovic in the US Open final.

However, Williams's stunning second-round loss to China's Li Na last week in Stuttgart guaranteed the 23-year-old Serb the top spot in yesterday's updated rankings.

WTA Rankings

1 Jelena Jankovic (Ser)4355.00pts

2 Serena Williams (USA)3681.00

3 Dinara Safina (Rus)3628.00

4 Elena Dementieva (Rus)3040.00

5 Ana Ivanovic (Ser)2952.00

6 Maria Sharapova (Rus)2515.00

7 Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus)2513.00

8 Venus Williams (USA)2246.00

9 Vera Zvonareva (Rus)2135.00

10 Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol)2096.00