Rising star Iva Jovic matches career-best Slam result with opening win

American world No. 30 Iva Jovic proved exactly why she is one of the most feared young talents on the WTA Tour, defeating Katie Volynets 6-2, 6-3 to open her Australian Open account. The 18-year-old, who arrived in Melbourne as the 29th seed, needed just over 80 minutes to dismantle her fellow American, matching her best-ever result at a Grand Slam by reaching the round of 64.

Jovic enters the first major of the year as the tour leader in match wins for 2026, boasting an impressive 8-2 record in just three weeks of play. Her momentum has been building rapidly following a semifinal appearance at the ASB Classic in Auckland and a run to the final at the Hobart International last week.

The California native, who became the youngest American to win a WTA title since Coco Gauff when she triumphed in Guadalajara last September, appears to be able to translate that “teen queen” energy into Grand Slam stability.

With her clinical baseline game and elite redirection of power on full display, Jovic now turns her attention to the second round, where she will face Australian wildcard Priscilla Hon. Hon advanced after her own dramatic opener, where her opponent Marina Stakusic was forced to retire due to severe cramping. For Jovic, a win in the next round would mark a new career milestone, as she has never previously progressed past the second round of a major..