Teenager Iva Jovic says she is “really excited” to test herself against “the best” after booking a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final against world number one Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open.
American Jovic, who turned 18 in December, lost just one match in a convincing 6-0 6-1 win over Kazakh Yulia Putintseva.
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Earlier on Sunday, two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka beat another of rising tennis stars – Canadian Victoria Mboko, 19 years old – 6-1 7-6 (7-1) at Rod Laver Arena.
Asked about meeting Sabalenka in the next round, Jovic said: “I think I’ll just try to continue to take care of my side of the net.
“Obviously she’s number one for a reason and she’s had so much success in this tournament, but that’s what I want.
“I said last year that I was hoping to be able to play here this year, because you definitely have to play the best and see how it goes. I’m really excited.”
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Jovic, who is the 29th seed in Melbourne, had previously not progressed past the second round of a major tournament.
She scored a straight-sets victory over seventh-seeded Jasmine Paolini, her first victory against a player ranked in the world’s top 10, by moving through her fourth-round draw against Putintseva in just 53 minutes.
Jovic said earlier in the event that she was grateful for the advice she received during a meeting with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
Speaking after his third-round victory on Saturday, Djokovic said Jovic “has all the tools” to become “a future champion and a future number one.”
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Like Jovic, Belarusian Sabalenka has yet to lose a set at this year’s Australian Open.
She has now reached at least the quarter-finals in 13 consecutive Grand Slam appearances and is two wins away from a fourth consecutive final in Melbourne.
Champion in 2023 and 2024, she lost the final last year to the American Madison Keys.
The 27-year-old looked headed for a comfortable win over 17th-seeded Mboko, leading by a set and a double break.
However, she almost let a 4-1 lead slip away in the second set and eventually clinched the tiebreak victory.
“She’s an incredible player, it was quite a fight and I’m super happy that I was able to close this match in straight sets,” Sabalenka said.
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“The second set was a bit tricky but I’m happy with the level I played and happy to come out of it.”
