American teen Iva Jovic +25 after reaching maiden WTA final in Guadalajara
The Iva Jovic fairytale run continues at the Guadalajara Open after the 17-year-old came through a tough semi-final to reach her maiden WTA Tour singles final.
Jovic, who made her professional debut as a 14-year-old in June 2022, was forced to go the distance for a second consecutive match as she followed up her three-set win against Victoria Jimenez with a 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 victory Nikola Bartunkova.
In a match that was just nine minutes shy of the three-hour mark, Jovic came out on top in the battle of the teenagers, but the 19-year-old Bartunkova didn’t make it easy for her as she broke first in the decider, but the American hit back immediately and then claimed a second break in game six.
The Czech youngster then saved a match point in game nine and had four break points to get level on serve, but Jovic eventually got the job done on match point number three.
She will now meet another first-time WTA finalist in Emiliana Arango after the 25-year-old Colombian defeated Elsa Jacquemot 6-4, 7-5.
WTA Rankings Rise
Jovic started the WTA 500 tournament at a career-high No 73 in the WTA Rankings, but she has already jumped 25 places to a new best of No 48 with her run to the final.
The 17-year-old has already earned 324 points for a tally of 1238 and a title run will result in an increase to 1413 points, which should be good enough for her to enter the top 40 of the rankings.
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That is quite impressive for a player who started the 2025 season at No 191 before making her top 100 debut in June after winning the WTA 125K Ilkley Trophy with a two-set win over Rebecca Marino on the grass in Northern England.
Arango has been equally brilliant as she is currently at No 83 in the official rankings, having peaked at No 76, but has jumped 33 places to No 53 and could rise to No 38 if she wins the title.
Big Breakthroughs
The American made her Grand Slam debut at the 2024 US Open as a 16-year-old after receiving a wildcard and she upset Polish veteran Magda Linette to reach the second round. She also featured at this year’s Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Jovic has earned $861,278 so far in her career, with $659,978 coming in 2025. Those tallies will increase by $164,000 if she wins the final and $101,000 if she finishes runner-up.
Arango has career earnings of $1,148,670, having earned $578,355 this season.
The Colombian made her major debut at the French Open, beating Alex Eala in the first round, and also featured at Wimbledon and the US Open.
