Don't call it a comeback: Ivanovic advances to semis in Rome

We're kidding; you should absolutely be calling Ana Ivanovic's unexpected run at the Italian Open a comeback. We just wanted to invoke some LL Cool J into the proceedings.

As Busted Racquet detailed Tuesday, former world No. 1 and French Open champion Ana Ivanovic is showing signs of a tennis pulse for the first time in nearly 18 months. She had won as many matches in the first two days of the Italian Open as she had since early January. Her victory over No. 9 Victoria Azarenka in the second round was her first over a top 10 player since October 2008.

Since then, the 58th-ranked Ivanovic has reeled off two more victories and advanced to just her second semifinal since last March. On Wednesday, she defeated world No. 6 Elena Dementieva by teeing off on the Russian's second serve and holding on in a second-set tiebreaker in a most un-Ana-like way. Thursday, Ivanovic dispatched No. 14 seed Nadia Petrova 6-2, 7-5.

Four days ago it would have been preposterous to make the following statement, but here goes: If she keeps playing like this, Ivanovic seems poised to play her way into the finals. She'll face unseeded Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the semifinals, a match she'll win if she plays like she has against Azarenka, Dementieva and Petrova. It's hardly a walkover, particularly for someone like Ana who rightfully has earned the "headcase" label during her career. But there's hope for her yet.