• What the Deuce

The more she plays the better she'll get

Jelena Jankovic won her 12th WTA Tour title at Indian Wells on Sunday © Getty Images

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Jelena Jankovic may have been the sixth seed at Indian Wells, but the chances of her winning the title were far longer than her ranking would have suggested.

The former world No. 1 has struggled to find her form in 2010, failing to reach the quarter-finals of any of the five tournaments she has played, and falling twice in the first round. In Sydney she fell to Hungarian world No. 40 Agnes Szavay in the first round, and in Monterrey it was the Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, ranked 72 in the world, who caused the upset.

Going into Indian Wells she had a win to loss ratio of four to seven, and had not met a single top-ten player.

Jankovic was suffering a similar fate former world No. 1s Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic, struggling to find the tennis to match their glittering reputations. And just as it looked like Jankovic would follow Sharapova and Ivanovic out of the top ten, slipping steadily down the rankings, she produced a performance that was worthy of a world No.1.

Jankovic was just two points away from defeat in the third round to Sara Errani, but fought furiously to battle to a 2-6 7-6(6) 6-4 victory and move into the fourth for the first time this season. Trailing 4-2 and 40-0 in the final set, Jankovic looked down and out, but in what could prove to be the turning point to her season, she used her get-out-of-jail-free card and pulled a result out of the bag.

"I need these kinds of matches," said Jankovic. "It has been a while since I've played a lot of matches, and I think winning these kinds of matches can give you a lot of confidence. The more I play, the better I'll get. So I'm happy I will get another chance tomorrow."

And she was spot on. From then on, she didn't drop a set as she eased past Shahar Peer and Alisa Kleybanova, stunned Sam Stosur in the semis and dominating Caroline Wozniacki in the final to win her 12th tour title.

It was an unbelievable swing in momentum, and in the space of a month Jankovic has rolled back the years, and based on the performances she produced at Indian Wells, looks like she can genuinely compete for a Grand Slam.

Despite holding the No. 1 spot for a total of 18 weeks, Jankovic has never won a Grand Slam © Getty Images

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Jankovic falls into the unfortunate category of having occupied the No.1 ranking without having won a Grand Slam. Like Dinara Safina, whose absence with a back injury has seen her drop to third in the world rankings this week, Jankovic has not won a major title, and until she does so she will never be uttered in the same breath as the likes of Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin or the Williams sisters.

She came closest at the 2008 US Open, but fell to Serena Williams in the final, and has reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam twice, on both occasions losing to the eventual champion, who just so happened to be Sharapova at the 2008 Australian Open and Ivanovic at Roland Garros later the same year.

Jankovic has never been as glamorous as Ivanovic or Sharapova, but while the glamour girls of women's tennis have the elusive Grand Slam title that Jankovic still craves, they do not have the pure guts of Jankovic. And while Ivanovic has dropped out of the top 50, Jankovic has made a huge step in the right direction, winning what is commonly nicknamed the fifth Grand Slam.

Could this be the turning point in her season? Based on the awful form Jankovic has endured so far this season, it is easy to be sceptical about her chances. Such a spectacular change in fortune is hard to accept, but confidence can be such a big factor in the mental battle.

Miami will be a big week for Jankovic, to prove to her critics and to herself that she is still capable of beating the world's best. She will still be very much an underdog as she looks to notch back-to-back victories for the first time since October 2008, but the manner of her victory in California looks like she will not be dropping out of the world top ten any time soon.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.