Iva Jovic had a beautiful sombrero on her head, which shielded her from the rain as the 18-year-old was collecting the Guadalajara Open trophy for a second time in her career. Jovic showed her maturity as she hastily moved through her winner’s speech to spare the supporting Mexican crowd from being in the rain.
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“Okay I am going to make this fast, thanks to my coaches Gabe and Tom, to Integralis, to the Gustavos, to the ball kids, to the umpires, and to everyone who made this possible,” said Jovic during her short on-court speech. “Stay dry… it’s amazing to be back here.”
Even though the rain had attempted to play spoilsport in Mexico, Jovic made sure there were no delays during the final. The American quickly moved through her paces, beating compatriot Peyton Stearns 6-4, 6-2 to win her second Guadalajara Open title. The second seed was on fire all week, and with top seed Marta Kostyuk losing early, the draw opened up, allowing Jovic to win the title without dropping a set.
Defending a title on the Tour always comes with pressure as players have to defend the points from the previous year. Still, Jovic seems to have taken a liking for the court in Mexico, as the American was in impeccable form at the competition last year. Last year, she was unseeded and still unknown coming into the competition. Still, she won three three-set matches before beating Emiliana Arango in straight sets in the final, winning her maiden Tour-level title.
Having won the competition two years in a row, Jovic had endeared herself to the crowd, who were cheering loudly for the American. Even with the rain starting, she did not forget to thank the Mexican audience who had braved the weather to support her.
“It’s amazing to be back here in the final with this beautiful trophy and this sombrero. Thank you all for staying through all this rain; we’re having a nice little moment here,” said Jovic on court. “I love being here; you’ve given me so much energy. The crowd is my favorite thing about coming here, so thank you so much for being here.”
Speeches in bad weather always make up for fun watches as players try to get their speeches done quickly for everyone’s sake. During last year’s Miami Open, Aryna Sabalenka faced a similar situation, having to finish her speech quickly due to overcast skies. In her typical fashion, the Belarusian blamed herself for the weather, claiming that the city of Miami was in tears as she had beaten home favorite Jessica Pegula in the final.
As for Jovic, the win marked the thirty-eighth victory for her this season, doubling her win count compared to her losses this year. The American made some big strides this season, showing her ability to play at a high level on all three surfaces.
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Jovic had a tremendous start to the season, with the American teenager reaching the semifinal in Auckland and the final in Hobart, losing to the likes of Elina Svitolina and Elisabetta Cocciaretto. At the Australian Open, she beat the likes of Jasmine Paolini to reach the quarterfinals, where she was beaten by Sabalenka.
Coming onto the clay, Jovic had some hard-fought losses against top opposition. She pushed the likes of Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Naomi Osaka to tight three-set battles across events in Charleston, Rome, and Roland Garros, but could not cross the finish line. She had a decent run on the grass as well, as she reached the semifinal in Queens and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Jovic’s US Open campaign came to an end with a one-sided loss to Coco Gauff in the fourth round. However, the young American had her moment on Arthur Ashe, when she beat her off-court friend, Alexandra Eala, in a terrific three-set match in the third round, which had the home favorite in tears after the match.
Having been ranked outside the top 70 around this time last year, Jovic has gradually built up her ranking to her current world ranking of 16. Should the American sustain her form over the Asian swing, she might have a chance of nearing the Top 10 by the end of this season itself.