Iva Jovic scored her 42nd WTA tour-level win of the season on Thursday, fighting back to beat Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Ningbo Open 2026 quarterfinals. The young US breakout star needed just one hour and 22 minutes to beat the former world No. 4.
Jasmine Paolini Breaks Early Before Iva Jovic Storms Back
Still, early in the match, it looked like Paolini would be the one to advance. She jumped out to a 3-1 lead behind a quick break. Then, Jovic responded with back-to-back breaks to take the opener. That composure carried into the second set, where she opened a 4-1 cushion before Paolini trimmed the gap to 4-3. Jovic managed to hole serve, breaking once more to close it out in straight sets.
The win means Jovic has now beaten Paolini in back-to-back meetings after she topped the Italian standout in the third round of the 2026 Australian Open, evening their career head-to-head at 2-2.
Beyond that rivalry, Jovic's 2026 season keeps building. Ningbo is her seventh WTA quarterfinal, and she converted five of her last six into semifinal appearances. The win also marks the 20th time she's beaten a top 50 player.
Up next, Jovic faces No. 6 seed Diana Shnaider, who beat Alexandra Eala earlier in the day, for a semifinal spot.
