Simona Halep has won the BNP Paribas Open title thanks to a 2-6 7-5 6-4 victory over Jelena Jankovic in a dramatic final at Indian Wells.
An enthralling contest started in dramatic fashion as the two players traded breaks in the opening two games of the match.
However, it was Jankovic who looked the stronger of the two players throughout the first set, and her eagerness to attack the Halep serve paid dividends.
Halep appeared sluggish in longer rallies, and the third seed lost her serve twice more to gift her opponent the advantage.
Jankovic used the momentum to take charge of an entertaining second set with an early break as her power continued to swing the match in her direction.
At 3-2, Jankovic looked in control, but a frantic spell of five successive breaks followed and Halep kept her bid alive to deny the Serb, who had served for the match at 5-4.
The Romanian capitalised on the slip-up from her rival, and took the second set 7-5 to get back in the match.
Jankovic recovered impressively from the setback, and Halep's vulnerability on serve reappeared as the 18th seed made a breakthrough in the third game, but she twice missed an opportunity in an error-strewn phase of four breaks between the two players.
Halep forced the opportunity to serve for the match at 5-4, but Jankovic showed the resilience displayed by her rival earlier in the set to break back immediately.
In an unpredictable match, one final break would complete the drama as Halep capitalised on Jankovic's errors to clinch the victory.
Callum Mulvihill
