Iva Jovic began her ATX Open campaign on Tuesday, defeating Anna Blinkova in straight sets.
The American, who was tipped by Novak Djokovic to become world number one, beat Blinkova 6-3, 6-4 and will face Alja Tomljanovic in the round of 32.
Jovic is now the highest seed left in the draw following Jessica Pegula’s withdrawal from the event on Tuesday.
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Pegula, who won the Dubai Tennis Championships last week, has withdrawn from ATX Open contention due to a left knee injury.
Pegula’s absence, along with Xinyu Wang’s exit from the tournament, has handed Jovic an opportunity to capitalise.
Iva Jovic could win her first WTA Tour event as a seeded player
With Jessica Pegula and Xinyu Wang now absent from the event, Jovic has the opportunity to win a WTA Tour singles event as a seeded player for the first time.
After beating Blinkova in the first round, Jovic is the only player left in the draw who is ranked inside the world’s top 60 players.
The ranking of all players left in the ATX Open draw
| Player | WTA Ranking |
| Yue Yuan | 127 |
| Dalma Galfi | 87 |
| Anastasia Zakharova | 88 |
| Ashlyn Krueger | 103 |
| Rebeka Masarova | 120 |
| Whitney Osuigwe | 163 |
| Nikola Bartunkova | 107 |
| Taylor Townsend | 119 |
| Kamilla Rakhimova | 92 |
| Oksana Selekhmeteva | 76 |
| Kaja Juvan | 93 |
| Peyton Stearns | 62 |
| Kimberly Birrell | 80 |
| Caroline Dolehide | 126 |
| Ajla Tomljanović | 74 |
| Iva Jovic | 18 |
Jovic, of course, won her first WTA Tour-level title at the 2025 Guadalajara Open [pictured below].
The American, who was unseeded at the event, defeated Katarzyna Kawa, Camila Osorio, Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, Nikola Bartunkova and Emiliana Arango to win the title.
As a 17-year-old unseeded player, Jovic was not expected to win the Guadalajara Open, meaning she had little pressure on her shoulders heading into the event.
It is a different story in Texas. Jovic is now the favourite to win the title, and it will be interesting to see how the youngster copes with these expectations as the week progresses.
Jovic’s next hurdle at the event will be Alja Tomljanovic, who defeated Venus Williams in her first-round match in Texas.
Jovic and Tomljanovic have never played each other before on the WTA Tour.
Steve Johnson says this is a ‘big week’ for Iva Jovic
Steve Johnson [pictured below], the former world number 21, expressed his desire to see how Jovic performs under pressure while speaking on the Nothing Major Show.
He said: “I think this is a big week for Iva Jovic and the progression of her career, because she’s been relatively unknown in her young career.
“Now she’s the two seed at these events. She’s expected to be at the end, on the weekend, playing for titles.
“I want to see how she does with this pressure.”
If Jovic defeats Tomljanovic in the ATX Open second round, she will play Caroline Dolehide or Kimberly Birrell in the third round.
