California girl Jovic records 10 wins in a row, triples ITF title haul
Sixteen-year-old Iva Jovic has had a very fine fortnight.
The American clinched the second and third titles of her fledgling career on the ITF World Tennis Tour over the past couple of weeks, winning back-to-back crowns on Californian hard courts at W35 Berkeley and W75 Rancho Santa Fe.
Her latest triumph a – 6-3 6-3 victory over Ena Shibahara in Sunday’s final – secured her third professional singles title, her first at W75 level, and saw her rocket 74 places in the WTA rankings to a career-high No. 216.
“San Diego has been good to me this year,” said Jovic, who grew up fairly close to the Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club. “I guess it’s the homecourt advantage.”
Jovic’s swift progress comes after her standout Grand Slam debut as a wild card at the US Open in August, when she overcame Magda Linette in straight sets before going toe-to-toe with Ekaterina Alexandrova in a three-set battle lasting over three hours.
Still technically competing as an amateur and yet to declare her professional status with college eligibility in mind, Jovic drew high praise from Kathy Rinaldi, former Billie Jean King Cup captain and Head of Women’s Tennis for the USTA, during the US Open (where she also reached the semi-finals of the girls’ singles event).
“She's such a great young lady, so locked in, so mentally strong, and she wants it so badly,” Rinaldi said.
“Her growth and development have come a long way; coach Tom Gutteridge and the other USTA coaches have worked on her strength and conditioning, her movement. She’s so professional.”
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Runner-up Shibahara, meanwhile, could also celebrate another positive step in her journey after the 26-year-old from Japan climbed to a career-high singles ranking of No. 143 as a result of her efforts last week.
The final – her third of the season – comes after the former world doubles No. 4 decided to devote herself entirely to singles in 2024.
“It’s been a process and a journey [this year] and I’m really happy that I went after my dream,” Shibahara said. “It didn’t go my way today but there’s always lessons to be learned.”
There were two other ITF W75 title winners this weekend, with Laura Pigossi winning on home clay at W75 Sao Paolo – defeating Beatrice Ricci 6-7(3) 6-3 6-3 in the final – and Sara Bejlek beating Darja Semenistaja 6-2 6-0 to win at W75 Sibenik.