Iva Jovic juggles singles triumph with doubles despair despite a lack of knowledge for the rules: "In the first match, we didn’t even know if there were ads"

Iva Jovic has had a whirlwind of a day. She reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after thrashing Yulia Putintseva while cruelly losing out in the women's doubles after partnering Victoria Mboko. This was even with their doubles knowledge being slightly dodgy at times.

The American dropped just one game on the way to an emphatic victory. Before this event, she had never made it past the second round in five prior major events. Now, she can call herself a Grand Slam quarter-finalist, with there still more progress to be made.

"It feels great. I definitely exceeded my hopes and expectations for this tournament, so hopefully I can keep the winning going," she commented later in her press conference.

Jovic stunned Melbourne Park after comprehensively dumping out two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini in straight sets, confirming her place in the fourth round of a major event for the first time.

After such a big win, Jovic revealed it was hard to focus on the next task at hand. "It’s difficult, especially at a Slam," she admitted. "There are a lot of people and a lot of things outside the tennis — media, fans, everything — so it’s hard to get back down to earth. I just tried to focus on the next match and reset as best as I could, knowing there was still a lot more work to be done. I’m glad I was able to get back to a neutral playing field and be ready to play my best today."

While all of this is very new to her, the 18-year-old does not feel she is playing with 'house money.' "Honestly, not really. I don’t feel like I’m playing with house money or an underdog mentality. I don’t feel like I’m playing outside my comfort zone or above my normal level."

She just continued her positive momentum from previous events into this one, and now reaping the rewards. "I came into this from two other tournaments where I was playing every day and winning a lot of matches, so the level I’m showing this week doesn’t feel much different. It just feels like another week where I’m winning more matches, which is nice. I think I improved a lot in the offseason and raised my base level, and now I’m just trying to maintain that every day."

Jovic had teamed up with Canadian Open champion Mboko in the women's doubles. The two teenagers worked well together, initially entering for a bit of fun, They won their opening round match, which earned them a crack at the number four seeds Elise Mertens and Shuai Zhang. Incredibly, Jovic and Mboko were 5-1 up, but would go on to lose the set. They levelled up to force a deciding set which went to a tiebreaker but ultimately it were the professionals who go through after Jovic and Mboko spurned three match points.

"Me and Vicky honestly just signed up for doubles for fun," she stated. "In the first match, we didn’t even know if there were ads — we were asking the umpire what was going on. Then today I didn’t realise there was a third set, so I was like, 'Oh my God, this is going to be way longer than my singles match.'"

Despite their lack of knowledge on the rules, they gave it a really good go against established opposition. Even through the singles success the pain of losing narrowly in the doubles is still on her mind.

"It went to six-all in the third, and it ended up being one of the most unbelievable doubles matches I’ve ever played," she said. "The crowd was going crazy, there were so many long points — it was outrageous. My soul is a little hurt that we lost because it was so close, and I really wanted that win. It’s funny talking about singles right now because my mind is still on doubles, but it was a lot of fun and I’m glad we played."

There are not as many matches as tough as facing off against Aryna Sabalenka. It looks like an uphill task for Jovic, but she will definitely give it a go, but first off to the drawing board. "I didn’t see much of her match because I was warming up and getting ready for mine, so I’ll definitely do some research," she confirmed.

"Not that there are many secrets — she’s world number one, and there’s a lot of video out there. I’m just excited." Whatever happens, to make it to the quarter-finals so early in her career is massive and a great stepping stone. "Being in the quarterfinals is amazing for me, and at this stage you expect to play one of the best players. That’s what you want. I’m trusting the level I’ve been able to put out and hoping that will be enough."

Last year, she fell to high calibre opposition in the form of Elena Rybakina in the second round. "I think I’ve improved and evolved a lot as a player and as a person," she said when ask about the differences from then to now. "That match was a bit of a slap in the face — I kind of got my butt kicked — but I’ve done a good job of turning losses like that into positives. I’m physically fitter, a lot stronger, and my game has more versatility now. I have my coach, Tom, to thank for that — he’s guided me really well. And the physio group Integralis has helped me get much stronger physically. I just have a great team around me, which helps a lot."

She has already come on leaps and bounds since then, learning and improving so much about herself to get to this point. "I’ve learned that I’m very resilient, and that I can trust myself and the work I’ve put in. I’ve had good results before, but the Slams are where you really want to do well. Being here gives me belief that I can compete at the highest level of tennis and, hopefully, do it consistently."

She was quick to praise her dad, unveiling that the style of play came from him. "Mostly my dad. He was the first one who really taught me the style of tennis he wanted me to play," she said. "He’s not a formal coach, but he drilled the right mentality into me — playing with good intentions. I think that’s what leads to success in the long run, so I’m really grateful to my dad for that."

Not just as a tennis player, but as a family man he supports his daughter. "He’s one of my biggest supporters and truly believes in me. He always thinks I can win, no matter who I’m playing or how big the match is. I’m really lucky to have a family that doesn’t only see me as a tennis player — they just want me to be happy. That’s their ultimate goal. They want me to play tennis because I love it, not because they want me to be a big star."

While he will not be in Melbourne to watch the quarter-final, he will be following from a distance back at home. "He had to go back home for work, but he was here for my first match and in Hobart the week before, so that meant a lot," she concluded.