Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: American teen Iva Jovic caused the biggest upset of the Australian Open 2026 with a stunning straight-sets win over Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini at the John Cain Arena.
In what was the biggest win of her young career, Jovic outplayed the seasoned Italian with a composed performance, winning the contest 6-2, 7-6 in 1 hour 46 minutes and earning her first Grand Slam last-16 appearance.
The 29th seed avenged her last year's losses against Paolini at the Indian Wells and the U.S. Open to bag her maiden victory over a top-10 player and stretched her tour-leading winning streak to 10 matches in 2026.
"It feels amazing, I've been working really hard for it. I've been wanting this one for a while now," she said.
"I had a couple of tough losses. I’m just so happy to get through that barrier and get the win today."
After sealing the first set comfortably, Jovic had the opportunity to serve for the match before Paolini fought back to force a tiebreak. But the 18-year-old American remained calm under pressure to win the last five points and book a fourth-round clash with Kazakh qualifier Yulia Putintseva.
Canadian Victoria Mboko, another North American teenager, also progressed to the last-16 with a 7-6, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Clara Tauson.
Meanwhile, two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff marched into the fourth round with a hard-fought 3-6 6-0 6-3 win over Hailey Baptiste in an all-American clash at Margaret Court Arena.
Ukraine's Elina Svitolina continued her red-hot run as the No. 12 seed reached the last-16 after clinching a 7-6, 6-3 win over 23rd-seeded Diana Shnaider.
The impressive win extended Svitolina's perfect record to 8-0 in 2026.
In men's singles, third-seed German Alexander Zverev edged past Britain's Cameron Norrie 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to qualify for the Round of 16. Courtesy of the third-round win, Zverev stretched his perfect record against Norrie to 7-0.
Not far away at the Rod Laver Arena, local favourite and sixth seed Alex de Minaur brushed aside American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 to reach the fourth round of his home Grand Slam for the fifth successive time.
