Iva Jovic, 17, wins first WTA title in Guadalajara
Already the youngest player in the WTA's Top 100, American Iva Jovic became the youngest tour-level champion this season by winning the Guadalajara title on Sunday. At 17 years, 283 days old, she is the youngest American to win a tour-level singles title since Coco Gauff won in Parma in 2021.
Jovic's triumph at the WTA 500 earned her a Top 50 debut, lifting her 37 places to world No. 36. She started the season at No. 206.
The Southern Californian saved a match point in a quarterfinal victory against Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva and earned three of her five wins in three sets. In Sunday's final, Jovic beat 24-year-old Colombian Emiliana Aranga, 6-4, 6-1, converting six of 11 break points.
"You showed so much fight and gave the people a show," Jovic said to her opponent, who battled an illness in the title match. "It's not easy to start out on tour when you're young... but people like Emiliana make it easier and always have a smile on their face."
After making her professional Grand Slam debut at the 2024 US Open, courtesy of a wild card she earned by winning the USTA Girls' 18s National Championships, Jovic competed at all four majors in 2025. She booked her place at the Australian Open and Roland Garros by winning the USTA Wild Card Challenges for both events, then successfully qualified for Wimbledon and earned direct entry to the US Open. Jovic reached the second round at every major this year except Wimbledon.
Read more: Grand Slam stage 'nothing new' for Jovic
Joining Jovic in the Guadalajara winners' circle was Nicole Melichar-Martinez, who teamed with Irina Khromacheva to win the doubles title at the WTA 500. The champions lived up to their billing as the top seeds, beating the second-seeded duo of Giuliana Olmos and Aldila Sutjiadi, 6-3, 6-4, in Sunday's doubles final.
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