Iva Jovic set for WTA Rankings milestone after reaching quarter-final at Australian Open
The Iva Jovic fairytale continues at the 2026 Australian Open with the teenager destroying former world No 20 Yulia Putintseva in straight sets to reach her maiden Grand Slam quarter-final.
Seeded 29th and playing at the season-opening Grand Slam for the second time, Jovic started the tournament in excellent form as she finished runner-up to Elisabetta Cocciaretto at the Hobart International last week.
After beating Katie Volynets and Priscilla Hon in the first two rounds, the American came up against seventh seed Jasmine Paolini in the third round, but she also dispatched the two-time major finalists in straight sets to earn a clash against Putintseva.
And she followed up her 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) win over Paolini with an even more emphatic win against Putintseva, who is currently at No 94 in the WTA Rankings, as she scored a 6-0, 6-1 victory in just 53 minutes on John Cain Arena.
Kazakh player Putintseva, who won only 23 points in 13 games and hit just four winners, cut a frustrated figure as she threw her racket several times during the short match and also complained to the chair umpire several times, but it fell on deaf ears.
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For Jovic, it is her best performance at a Grand Slam following two second-round appearances at the US Open and one at the French Open.
WTA Rankings Rise
The 18-year-old is set to break into the top 20 when the WTA Rankings are updated after the Australian Open as she has surged seven places to No 20 with an even bigger jump on the cards if she wins her next match.
Jovic – who won her first WTA Tour singles title at the Guadalajara Open in September 2025, could move as high as No 14 if she reached the semi-final, but there is a small matter of Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-final in what will be their first head-to-head meeting.
World No 1 and two-time Australian Open winner Sabalenka defeated Victoria Mboko in straight sets in her round of 16 clash.
“I think I’m just gonna try to keep taking care of my side of the net,” Jovic said. “Obviously, she’s No 1 for a reason and has had so much success at this tournament, but that’s what I want.
“I said it last year that I hoped to play her this year because you definitely want to play the best and see how it goes. I’m really excited.”
