Simona Halep showed all her fighting qualities to claim the BNP Paribas Open crown in thrilling style on Sunday.
The world number three was forced to do things the hard way in Indian Wells, battling back from a set down to earn the biggest title of her career, as she won 2-6 7-5 6-4 in an enthralling two-and-a-half hours.
Despite starting as the strong favourite, Halep was blasted off court by Jankovic in the opener - the Serb proving too powerful as she raced into the lead with three quick breaks of serve.
But, in a match littered with unforced errors from both players, the momentum shifted in the second set and, having fought hard to stay with her 18th-seeded opponent and level the match up, the Romanian stepped up her game decisively in the third.
In doing so, she claimed her third title of the season and the most notable of her 11 career crowns to date - although both players were far from at their best.
The pair faltered far more readily than they would have liked on serve, with a total of 18 breaks in the match.
For Jankovic, despite falling agonisingly short, the fortnight will still go down as a success, as she continues her journey back to form and fitness with a return to the world's top 20 now secured.
"Simona was unbelievable," said Jankovic on court afterwards. "We were running like two dogs and in the end I couldn't keep up any more. She's the younger one."
The Serb had spelled out her intentions early, breaking Halep in the very first game on her way to a 5-2 lead.
The 2010 champion dominated the set to seize the advantage and things looked bleak for Halep when she was forced to undergo treatment on the big toe on her left foot at the change of ends.
The 23-year-old was broken again at the start of the second set, but the pair once more began to trade blows on serve, exchanging six more breaks before Halep finally held to level things up.
These two had gone three sets in all four of their previous meetings, and they continued to offer up chances in the decider - Jankovic striking first as a backhand clipped the net and landed in for a 2-1 advantage.
The Serb's unforced error count gradually crept up and up, though, and after Halep had gained the advantage at 5-4, she capitalised on Jankovic's ninth double fault of the match to bring up three championship points - completing the job with a powerful forehand towards the baseline.