Coco Gauff and teen prodigy Iva Jovic advanced to the round of 16 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, each sealing progress on Tuesday.
Gauff avenged her defeat to Anna Kalinskaya from last year’s event, slipping past 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. Kalinskaya, who had reached the Doha quarterfinals the previous week, called for a medical timeout on her left leg when she trailed 4-3 in the opening set and ultimately couldn’t fully rebound.
The match statistics reflected a rocky day for both players: Kalinskaya produced 45 unforced errors to just 11 winners, while Gauff, still recovering from a first-round loss in Doha to Elisabetta Cocciaretto, logged 12 double faults among 33 errors. “It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it was enough today,” Gauff commented. “It was pretty windy out there, and I was just trying to adjust—both of us were struggling with consistency on the court.”
Gauff is set to face Elise Mertens in the next round, after the Belgian needed only 75 minutes to beat Emma Navarro and claim her first-ever win over an American in three meetings.
Tale of the Tape includes two former Dubai champions, Mirra Andreeva and Belinda Bencic, who both made the third round via walkover.
On the other side of the draw, 18-year-old Iva Jovic’s impressive run continued as she defeated Diana Shnaider 6-4, 1-6, 6-0 to set up a clash with fourth seed Jessica Pegula.
Jovic’s rise has been rapid. The California-born, Serbian-raised player was ranked No. 167 a year ago and rose to the top 100 just eight months ago, following a breakout WTA title in Guadalajara. Her momentum carried her to the Hobart final, the Auckland semifinals, and a first Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open, which helped her crack the top 20.
“Even though my ranking is where it is now, I still feel very new on tour,” Jovic said. “There’s a lot of players I haven’t faced yet. I know I still have a lot to learn, but it’s nice to feel I’m progressing and already in a favorable place. I’ve earned these opportunities, and I hope they keep coming.”
When asked if she’d seek advice from idol Novak Djokovic, Jovic admitted it might be daunting. “I hope so, but I’m not sure I’m brave enough to reach out yet,” she said. “He’s my idol, and I see him everywhere—you can’t escape him. I try to model my game on his mindset, simply put.”
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