On a buzzing John Cain Arena in Melbourne, 18-year-old American Iva Jovic delivered the biggest result of her young career, stunning seventh seed Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 7-6(3) to reach the Australian Open round of 16. It was clean, fearless tennis from the No. 29 seed and the youngest player in the Top 100. It was also her first victory over a Top 10 opponent, a breakthrough that felt both surprising in the moment and inevitable in its build-up.

Jovic had never been this deep at a Slam. A year ago she was ranked No. 191 and a clear underdog in matchups like this. On Wednesday in Melbourne, she played like she belonged on the second week stage, controlling the pace and handling the pressure when the second set tightened. She now awaits the winner of Zeynep Sonmez or Yulia Putintseva for a spot in the quarterfinals.

How Jovic cracked the matchup

The blueprint was simple and brave: take time away from Paolini, attack on return, and step in on the forehand. Jovic, listed at 5′7″, used her first-strike tennis to pin the 5′4″ Italian behind the baseline, especially in the opening set. She closed that set with a backhand winner, a clean exclamation mark on a 6-2 start that signaled her intent.

The second set brought stress. Jovic earned breaks, pushed ahead, and found herself within a game of the finish line. Serving for the match, the moment got sticky. Paolini, the 2024 runner-up at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, dug in and forced the set toward a breaker. That was Jovic’s reset point. She trusted her patterns, swung freely, and raced through the tiebreak 7-3.

“It feels incredible… I’ve been aiming for this moment for quite some time and have been putting in a lot of effort. After experiencing a few challenging defeats, I’m just thrilled to have broken through that barrier and secured the win today,” Jovic said on court.

Asked how she handled the tiebreak, she kept it simple: “I focused on what had worked well for me earlier in the match, being aggressive and dictating the play… I just kept telling myself to go out swinging.”

“That tiebreak wasn’t luck — that was a teenager playing like a Top 10 pro.”

A rise years in the making

Jovic’s surge is steep and striking. In 2023 she appeared in the rankings at No. 654. By 2024 she had leapt to No. 194. In 2025 she cracked the Top 40 at No. 35. And to start 2026, she’s at No. 27, the youngest player anywhere in the Top 100. That is not a normal climb; it’s a sprint.

The signs were there. She won her first WTA title in Guadalajara in 2025 at 17. She opened this season hot, making the Auckland semifinals and the Hobart final. In Melbourne she has looked sharp from ball one: 6-2, 6-3 over American Katie Volynets, 6-1, 6-2 over Australia’s Priscilla Hon, and now straight sets over the No. 7 seed.

Flipping the head-to-head

Paolini had the history. The Italian beat Jovic twice in 2025, including in the US Open second round in straight sets. They also met at Indian Wells in a tight contest that went the distance, with Paolini again edging it. At last year’s Australian Open, Jovic managed only six games against Paolini.

That is what makes this win pop even more. Same opponent, same big stage, a very different result. The matchup felt transformed by Jovic’s pace on the forehand and the way she cut off angles early, not letting Paolini’s heavy, spinning forehand settle into long rallies.

“Twelve months ago she was chasing. Today she was dictating. That’s development you can see.”

What it means for the Australian Open draw

Paolini arrived in Melbourne as a top-eight seed, fresh off a season where she made two Slam finals. Her exit opens a patch of the women’s draw and further highlights a youth wave this fortnight. Earlier this week, Czech teenager Nikola Bartunkova knocked out the No. 10 seed, another sign that fearless shot-making is causing problems for the established names.

Jovic’s next step is the winner of Zeynep Sonmez or Yulia Putintseva. It will be a very different test from Paolini’s ball, but the task stays the same: take the first chance to attack, stay brave on return, and keep calm in the big moments. Do that, and a Slam quarterfinal suddenly becomes very real.

“If she brings this level again, who in that section actually wants to face her?”

Tactical snapshot: returns and forehands ruled

There was nothing fancy about Jovic’s plan, and that was the beauty of it. She stepped inside the baseline on second serves and attacked. Her forehand, the shot she trusts most, did damage crosscourt into Paolini’s backhand and down the line when the court opened up. When rallies grew tight late in set two, she refused to get passive.

Paolini, a problem-solver who leans on shape and spin, tried to stretch rallies and draw errors. Jovic didn’t bite. She took the ball early and used her backhand as a firm base, switching direction to keep Paolini guessing. The match turned on those bold choices in pressure points, none bigger than the tiebreak that decided it.

From underdog to threat

Less than a year ago, Jovic was learning hard lessons against opponents like Paolini. Today, she’s handing those lessons out. It is a reminder of how fast things can move in women’s tennis when talent meets belief.

As the broadcast voice put it while the crowd roared: “The biggest win of her career… 18-year-old Iva Jovic is into the fourth round of the Australian Open for the very first time.” That’s not just a line; it’s a marker. The goalposts for Jovic’s season just shifted.

There will be bigger stages and tougher moments to come. But this was the performance that tells the locker room she’s not just a dangerous draw; she’s a serious contender. With her first Top 10 win in the books and a fourth-round debut ahead, the American teen heads into week two carrying momentum, confidence, and a game plan that travels.

Australian Open fourth round, here she comes — swinging.