Coco Gauff already knew Iva Jovic could make her suffer. Jovic pushed her hard in Rome in May, and she did it again in New York. Gauff finally returned to the US Open quarterfinals three years after winning the title, beating the 18-year-old 6-1, 6-4. The score says routine. The match said otherwise. Jovic made Gauff grind for a 6-1, 6-4 win, and Coco basically admitted afterward that the 18-year-old is already exhausting to play.
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When asked about how she felt after the straight sets win, Coco Gauff said, “Eva’s an incredible player and incredible talent… And honestly, there was one game where I felt like I was running a marathon… That was probably the first time I was out of breath on court in a long time.”
Coco Gauff looked in complete control against Iva Jovic, but the teenager refused to make things easy for the World No. 4. The 2023 champion raced through the first set 6-1, winning six straight games after dropping her opening service game.
Jovic struggled to find answers as Gauff kept moving her around and winning points from every position. But Arthur Ashe saw a different Jovic in the 2nd set, one who kept fighting even when Gauff appeared ready to pull away.
Gauff broke first, but Jovic immediately responded and brought the set back to 3-3. One game in particular seemed to go on forever, with Jovic refusing to give Gauff anything.
Gauff had 2 break chances in the 3rd game of the 2nd set, but Jovic saved both and somehow held on to win the game.
That only made Gauff’s eventual finish more impressive as she found another gear when needed. She broke Jovic at 5-4 and then served out to win the match. Gauff has now won 10 straight matches and reached her 12th Grand Slam quarterfinal.
With that kind of form behind her, the quarterfinals could feel like another stop before the semifinals.