Guadalajara Open: Young sensation Iva Jovic grabs headlines after cementing first-ever tour-level semifinal berth

America’s young sensation Iva Jovic produced a remarkable performance and booked her place in the semifinal of the Guadalajara Open. The WTA 500 event is moving towards a conclusion with the semifinal lineup completed on Friday.

One of the last four participants will be America’s Jovic, who secured her spot in the semifinal of the competition after beating Andora’s Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-6. During the match, Jovic converted six break points. She won 55 points on serve, which were 11 more than Kasintseva.

Talking after the match, the 17-year-old was clearly ecstatic and stated that she was ‘still shaking’ after securing the triumph. Jovic also stated that she never thought of getting so much support and thanked the crowd for lifting her up. “I’m still shaking,” said Jovic. “I can't believe I got through that match -- it was so up and down. But I never expected to get so much support here in Guadalajara. You guys got me through the match.”

Jovic further went on to thank the people sitting in the stands in Spanish.“Muchísimas gracias por venir a apoyarme,” Jovic said. “Me pusieron los pelos de punta. Me ayudaron a superar el partido.”

With that performance, Jovic is now set to improve her rankings immensely. As things stand, Jovic has already gained 19 positions in the WTA live rankings and is currently placed in the 54th spot. If she manages to win the competition, Jovic will go as high as 36th in the WTA rankings with 1,413 rating points.

Jovic started the campaign with a straight set win over Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. In the second round, she got the better of Camila Osorio in straight sets as well, with a score of 6-4, 6-2. Jovic’s next opponent will be the Czech Republic’s Nikola Bartunkova. The 19-year-old cemented her spot in the last-four after beating Poland’s Magdalena Frech in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-4. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two players in professional tennis.

In the other two quarterfinals, Colombia’s Emiliana Arango and Elsa Jacquemot secured victories. Arango defeated Marina Stakusic of Canada in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3. Arango was far superior compared to her rival as she converted six break points in the match, four more than Stakusic. Arango won 61.5 percent service points in the match, considerably higher than Stakusic who won just 43.6 percent points while serving.

On the other hand, Jacquemot defeated Germany’s Tatjana Maria with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Jacquemot converted six break points in the match. In comparison, Maria won five break points. Jacquemot won 54.7 percent service points as well. It will be the first meeting between the two players in professional tennis as well.