American teenager Iva Jovic — the youngest player in this year’s draw at just 16 — saw her U.S. Open run end with a hard-fought match that was mature beyond her years.
No. 29 Ekaterina Alexandrova advanced with a 4-6, 6-4, 7–5 second-round victory over Jovic, but it was more of an escape than a win.
Jovic, who was by far the more composed of the two, staved off six match points before finally falling on the seventh.
She’s still playing doubles, junior singles and junior doubles, but her performance in singles was impressive.
The young American wild card grew up playing tennis on her apartment roof in California with her big sister Mia.
Ranked just No. 389, Jovic was playing her first tour-level main draw, and was facing a Top 50 player for the first time.
She didn’t wilt under the pressure, or the oppressive 93-degree heat.
Jovic simply came up a shot or two short.
Down 5-4 and facing triple match point, she fought back for deuce.
A double fault by Alexandrova kept her in the match, and a forehand winner down the line gave Jovic a break point. When she won it, the crowd on Court 12 rewarded her with chants of ‘Iva! Iva! Iva!’
Jovic survived several break points when Alexandrova sent her shot long and started banging her racquet on the court.
But the latter recovered and eventually served out the match.
