Iva Jovic defeated Amanda Anisimova, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in the quarter-finals of the Queen’s Club Championships.
The 18-year-old had to work hard for her place in the semi-finals, where she will meet either Emma Raducanu or Kamilla Rakhimova.
Who is currently the best grass-court player on the WTA Tour?
Interestingly enough, Jovic was compared to Raducanu by former British number one Annabel Croft during the BBC’s post-match coverage.
Annabel Croft says Iva Jovic has similar footwork to Emma Raducanu as she records first top-five win
Croft was impressed by Jovic, as she defeated a top-five opponent for the very first time.
“She is somebody to definitely look out for in the future; she has everything, she is very neat and tidy,” said Croft.
Iva Jovic’s record against top-five players (1-4)
| Match | Opponent | Opponent’s rank | Result | Score |
| 2026 Australian Open – QF | Aryna Sabalenka | 1st | LOSS | 3-6, 0-6 |
| 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships – 3R | Jessica Pegula | 5th | LOSS | 4-6, 2-6 |
| 2026 Charleston Open – SF | Jessica Pegula | 5th | LOSS | 4-6, 7-5, 3-6 |
| 2026 Italian Open – 4R | Coco Gauff | 4th | LOSS | 7-5, 5-7, 2-6 |
| 2026 Queen’s – QF | Amanda Anisimova | 5th | WIN | 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 |
“She is like a version of Emma Raducanu, actually.
“I’d say she moves as well as Emma Raducanu on the court.
“She’s so neat and tidy, and like we’ve always said about Emma, she has this light footwork around the ball.
“You can see the work rate that is going on; her feet never stop moving.
“I think she likes a lot of boxing and you can see evidence of that in the footwork, very, very light on the toes, which is so imperative on a grass court.”
Jovic put her elite movement to good use as she secured one of the biggest wins of her professional career.
The 18-year-old was delighted to hear she’d beaten a top-five player for the first time when told about the statistic during her on-court interview.
“It means a lot to me,” said Jovic.
“I love this tournament, and every match here is a privilege, so to be able to play another one tomorrow is amazing, and it’s super sunny out now, so I think everyone is happy!
“The stands are full, so we’re all having a good time.”
Jovic was then asked to comment on the match itself and how she recovered after losing the second set.
“Obviously never played each other before, practised with each other a couple of times, she’s one of those players that can take the racket out of your hand, so if you let her get some momentum, she can keep rolling, hit a lot of winners,” she said.
“Tried to reset as best as I could and get myself ready for the third set.
“I just try to fight for every point because we train a lot and these are the matches that you want to fight hard for and give yourself the best chance, so I just try to remember that in those moments.”
Jovic also took a moment to thank her family and her British coach, Thomas Gutteridge.
“I have to give a shout-out to my family members who have come, and my coaches’ parents, who came all the way from Weymouth. I have to give them a shout-out as well; they are amazing, so I have a lot of support here in London,” she said.
“He’s British, back the Brits, Harry Kane! That’s all I’ve been hearing about recently.”
Hearing Jovic reference England’s star striker Harry Kane, Annabel Croft was ready to claim Jovic as an honorary Brit.
“I think we’re going to claim her as a Brit now, aren’t we? With the British coach, and she knows about football and footballers!” she said.
Jovic certainly endeared herself to the British crowd with those comments, as the English team prepare to begin their World Cup campaign in her home country next week.
Is Iva Jovic going under the radar as a Wimbledon contender?
The teenager wasn’t being talked about as a Wimbledon contender before this week, but maybe she should’ve been.
Jovic was excellent against Anisimova, taking down last year’s Wimbledon finalist in front of a packed crowd on the Andy Murray Arena.
And while she might have the home crowd against her in the semi-finals, against Raducanu or Rakhimova, Jovic will walk on the court as the favourite to reach the final.
If she does win Queen’s, then you would have to consider her as a contender for the Wimbledon title.
After all, we still haven’t seen some of the other challengers compete on grass this year.
The likes of Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, and Iga Swiatek will play in Berlin next week, but are already behind in terms of match practice and match wins.
That could well give Jovic the edge by the time Wimbledon comes around.
She won’t want to get ahead of herself thinking about Wimbledon just yet, though, as she now turns her attention to the Queen’s Club Championship semi-finals.
Jovic will play Raducanu or Rakhimova on Saturday, June 13.
