Jelena Jankovic Victorious at Indian Wells

Tennis' former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic has defeated Caroline Wozniacki to win the Indian Wells title, showing tennis fans that she is back.

Jelena Jankovic took command of the match when she was able to break Wozniacki's serve in the opening game. Jankovic consolidated her lead by breaking her opponent again in the third game. Although she lost serve in the sixth game, she was able to break back. She then went on to take the first set 6-2 and the second 6-4.

Although Caroline Wozniacki was the slim favorite to win this match, Tennis Magazine's Steve Tignor attributes Caroline's loss to the breakdown of her forehand which she missed on nearly every crucial point. According to Washington Post, Wozniacki had 23 unforced errors.

Yet all credit goes to Jelena as well for playing beautifully clean tennis. Tennis Magazine pointed to the variety of her game, being able to win points on her serve wide in the ad court, nice drop-volley winners as well as baseline points.

Of course, superstitious folks could also attribute Jelena Jankovic's victory to that lime-green colored dress she was wearing. Did some post St. Patrick's Day luck of the Irish give her a boost? If Jankovic is superstitious then tennis fans had better get used to that lime-green dress monstrosity. I'll admit that I didn't like the dress at first, but it grew on me.

In a tournament that saw players such as Henin, Clijsters, Sharapova and Dementieva fall, the sometimes fragile Jankovic held it together throughout the tournament. In a way, she's actually playing better than she was when she was No. 1.

There was a humorous moment during the trophy presentation when Jankovic was unable to lift that humongous crystal trophy. Jelena joked about how all those hours at the gym didn't help her lift the trophy. (Judging from what I saw on my television, I probably would not have been able to lift that trophy either). Hopefully the sometimes streaky Jankovic will be able to hold an even bigger trophy when she finally wins her first major.

While Wozniacki is likely disappointed with her performance at the Indian Wells final, she will have many positives to take away from the match. As of this morning, she is now No. 2 in the WTA rankings, a career high.

Sources:

Jankovic crushes Wozniacki in Indian Wells, Washington Post

The Best Surprise, Tennis Magazine

Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Singles Rankings, Sony Ericsson