Iva Jovic entered the US Open three months shy of her 17th birthday and was the 383rd-ranked player in the world. She exited the main draw today after making a name for herself by winning her first-round match and pushing No. 29 Ekaterina Alexandrova to the limit in a tight three-set loss in Round 2.
Jovic showed her first-round win over world No. 42 Magna Linette on Monday was no fluke by stretching the much more seasoned Alexandrova the distance before falling 6-4 4-6 5-7.
Jovic Bows Out In Round 2
Tight First Set
Jovic won the first three games of the opening set. The more experienced Alexandrova reclaimed the momentum by winning the next three games. The young American proved her mettle by wrestling control back when breaking Alexandrova’s serve in the critical seventh game of the set.
In the set, Alexandrova hit 12 winners to six by Jovic. Likewise, the No. 29 seed won all five of the points she played at the net, while Jovic never played a net point. Still, the teen managed the critical points and despite having her serve broken twice, won the set 6-4.
Alexandrova Grinds Back
Alexandrova, once ranked No. 15 in the world, did not get rattled. The winner of four singles titles and 179 career singles matches came back in the second set. She converted her third break point in the fifth game of the set to claim the only break of the set, eventually serving it out to knot the match at one set each.
After being broken, Jovic received extensive medical treatment, including what appeared to be monitoring of her blood pressure. She returned to play well, but not well enough to avoid a third set.
The Decider
Despite bending, neither competitor gave an inch in the first four games of the third set. Each player faced numerous break points but managed to hold serve twice.
Nerves, fatigue, and the moment may have caught both players off guard as they exchanged breaks of serve for the next three games.
Then, well, we saw everything.
Alexandrova seemed to take control of the match with a hold and a break to reach 5-4. Serving for the match, the veteran coughed up three match points to Jovic and then gave away the break, 5-5!
Somehow, despite a few frustrated racket slams, Alexandrova broke again to take a 6-5 lead. This time, despite giving away multiple match points again, the veteran converted her seventh match point to narrowly escape with a 7-5 win in the third set. The match finished in just over three hours.
What’s Next?
If she had won, Jovic would have faced No. 2 seed Arnya Sabalenka on Friday in the third round of the women’s championship. Rest assured that the match would likely have been in Arthur Ashe Stadium rather than on Court 12.
The now well-known Jovic is still eligible for the US Open Junior Championship, scheduled to start on Friday.
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran – USA TODAY Sports
