Petra Kvitova beaten by Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon

Defending champion Petra Kvitova has been knocked out of Wimbledon by a rejuvenated Jelena Jankovic, who came from a set down to win 3-6 7-5 6-4.

The No 2 seed was barely troubled in the opening set, with a flurry of powerful groundstrokes helping her take control of the third round contest.

But former world No 1 Jankovic was not to be brushed aside so easily and the Serb was in belligerent mood as she broke Kvitova at the third attempt to level the match at one set all.

The decider went with serve initially but Kvitova was ultimately to pay for too many unforced errors, with the Czech reaching 30-0 on her own serve in the 10th game before she began to falter.

She fired one forehand into the net, hit another long and wide and struck a third well over the baseline to give Jankovic her first match point.

Kvitova netted, this time with a backhand, and Jankovic fell to the ground after pulling off a stunning result.

The loss of Kvitova means just four of the top-10 seeded women are left in the tournament, while Jankovic goes on to play 2012 runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska for a quarter-finals berth.

Kvitova has not been knocked out of the tournament at such an early stage since 2009, with Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki and Lucie Safarova the last remaining top-10 seeds going into week two at the All England Club.

"From the beginning of the match I felt in a good way," said Kvitova.

"Suddenly I was just missing it. It was unusual, or weird, but it is how it is. She was going for it and playing more aggressively. I was still waiting for chances that didn't come."

Jankovic admitted afterwards that grass is not her favourite surface but felt her tenacious approach had helped see her through.

"I don't know what to say. I'm overwhelmed. I'm so excited. My heart is still pumping," she said.

"Playing on grass is very difficult for me, it does not come naturally. In the last couple of years I've played so poorly.

"Being on Centre Court against the defending champion was unbelievable and the crowd was great, so I'm really, really happy I was able to win this match.

"She was playing unbelievably and she's in great form, there's no doubt about that. I just tried to stay one point at a time, just hanging in there, stay positive and fight.

"When I won the second set I knew I had it, and I just had to keep going.

"I'm glad I was able to win against a two-time Wimbledon champion. Now anything can happen.

"I couldn't believe it. Beating her gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the tournament so hopefully I can keep going."