Jelena Jankovic survived a huge scare in her third-round Wimbledon clash with Caroline Wozniacki to triumph 2-6 6-4 6-2.

The Centre Court crowd might well have wondered after the first two sets whether number two seed Jankovic was about to follow Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova in shock exits from the All England Club this week. Never have the top three women’s seeds departed the championships in the first week.

Wozniacki’s performance belied her lack of experience and the 17-year-old Dane of Polish descent played some heroic tennis until she was battered into submission in the deciding set.

From the start, it was clear she was a formidable opponent and in a competitive sixth game, she had Jankovic in trouble.

Securing a break point, she pounced on a weak second service and Jankovic pushed the return into the net.

Wozniacki, sporting black socks, was growing in confidence with every winner and her accumulation of three set points in game eight was evidence of her brilliance.

All three were lost through unforced errors and when she secured a fourth moments later, she again failed to land the knockout blow.

A fifth went begging but she could not be denied in the sixth, capitalising when Jankovic double-faulted and then fired long.

Jankovic finally began to make inroads into Wozniacki’s serve in the opening game of the second set by winning a break point, but the Dane’s power dug her out of trouble.

Two more arrived and Wozniacki could do nothing to prevent the 23-year-old taking a crucial foothold in the set as a stunning backhand sailed past her.

Bizarrely, Jankovic was consulting her coach Ricardo Sanchez before making a challenge on Hawk-Eye and was enjoying little success with the technology.

She was now in full control, but her teenage opponent refused to give up, squandering a break point in the sixth when a looping forehand fell narrowly long.

Wozniacki was having to do more running as Jankovic’s precision shots sent her scurrying to the corners, but she got her own back with a drop shot and lob.

Two more break points arrived in the eighth but she squandered a golden opportunity to convert the first when she timidly struck a potentially decisive smash.

Jankovic took a regulation three-minute injury break once the second set finished after complaining of a swollen knee.

The world number three locked her left knee when stretching for a shot in the opening set and when she emerged for the start of the third, the problem area was heavily bandaged.

But it did not seem to bother her as she broke Wozniacki immediately, only to then suffer the same fate in the second game.

There were more twists and turns to come in a gripping match as Wozniacki wasted another chance to make inroads in to Jankovic’s serve.

Jankovic’s mobility was being hindered by her troublesome knee but Wozniacki was doing more running and when she was broken again in the seventh, the outcome looked assured.

Jankovic admitted her knee was causing her problems and cast doubt on her progress through Wimbledon.

“It was a tough match — my opponent played really well,” she tyold BBC television viewers. “I started to have some pain in my knee after slipping and I was struggling near the end.”