On the other side of the draw, Danish second seed Wozniacki suffered a 6-4 6-2 defeat by Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in her third-round tie.

CNN: Serena and Venus headed for Rome semifinal clash

If Swansea were to go for Speed he would be the third successive rookie manager at the helm after Martinez and his predecessor Kenny Jackett.

BBC: Hughes interested in Swansea job

Spaniard Martinez Sanchez stands in the way of Jankovic's third title at Foro Italico, after the 26th-ranked Spaniard's serve-and-volley game proved too strong for former world number one Ivanovic - now ranked 58.

BBC: Jelena Jankovic beats Serena Williams in Rome