16-Years-Old Iva Jovic Stuns Magda Linette at the US Open

American teen sensation Iva Jovic made her Grand Slam debut on Monday night. The 16-year-old Californian eliminated 2023 Australia Open semifinalist Magda Linette in a straight set 6-4, 6-3. Iva Jovic is now one win from a possible clash against No. 3 seed Aryna Sabalenka.

Jovic – a high school student – had made $24,224 in prize money before earning a wildcard into this tournament. Not bad for a high school student. By reaching the second round here, however, she will pocket at least $140,000.

Photo byBen HersheyonUnsplash

The Great Defense Saves Iva Jovic

Iva Jovic earned a wildcard into the main draw after her victory in the USTA’s Under-18 National Championships. Jovis is ranked No.5 in the world among juniors. She is the reigning junior doubles champion at both Wimbledon and Australian Open.

The teenager had played only nine professional tournaments before the US Open. This time last year, Jovic – who idolizes Novak Djokovic – lost in the first round of the US Open junior singles. Twelve months on, she is in the second round of the US Open. Iva Jovic had buried Magna Linette’s to go any further. The 32-year-old had no answer for Jovic’s gritty defense. Grand Slam career began nearly a decade ago and reached its peak at last year’s Australian Open when she reached the last four.

Her hopes of going any further here ended on night one. Unfortunately for the 32-year-old, she had no answer for Jovic’s gritty defense. “I just had a plan about what I was going to do before we started, and there weren’t that many needs for crazy adjustments, because it was going well,” Jovic said. “So just kind of sticking to that.”

Iva Jovic Had No Other Idol than Novak Djokovic

Coming as an American born from Serbian parents, Iva Jovic idolizes the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Jovic – who is enrolled in an online school – simply had no other reason why. “Do I need to say? We all know how great he is,” she said.

Jovic sealed victory shortly before Djokovic headed out for his opening match. They also played on different courts. Iva Jokic played on Court 15, which sits in a quiet corner of Flushing Meadows. The court was hidden on one side by a row of hedges and trees, dwarfed on the other by the towering stands of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Djokovic has finished his first-round match against Radu Albot in a straight set 6-2. 6-2. 6-4 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Jovic and Djokovic are yet to meet properly. But, their lone interaction so far was when Jovic asked if he would mind posing for a photo selfie. “It doesn’t look great, but it’s there,” she said with a smile.

Very Busy Schedule for Iva Jovic

Iva Jovic will not only compete in the Women’s single US Open. She had a lot of other schedules waiting for her. She is planning to enter the junior event later in the tournament. She also paired with Tyra Grant in the women’s double. These two teenagers also got a wild card in the same tournament – USTA’s Under-18 National Championships.

The USTA also granted Jovic and another American teen, Kaylan Bigun, a spot in the mixed doubles too. Seems like Jovic had made her choice. She grew up participating in a bunch of sports, including soccer, gymnastics, and swimming. But she gravitated to tennis, which she began learning alongside her older sister on courts built atop the apartment complex in Torrance, California.

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Article originally written by Tania Rompas