Marie Bouzkova outlasted Iva Jovic in back-to-back tiebreaks on Tuesday, holding off the US star 7-6 (0), 7-6 (5) in the third round of the 2026 Cincinnati Open. The win books her a Round of 16 date with No. 4 seed Coco Gauff.
Getting there took nearly two-and-a-half hours of grinding baseline exchanges.
Marie Bouzkova Wears Down Iva Jovic
Bouzkova fell behind 5-3 in the opening set before steadying her serve. From there, she pushed the frame to a tiebreak and shut out the 13th seeded Jovic 7-0.
The second set brought a familiar swing, only in reverse. Jovic broke to serve for it at 5-4, then immediately handed the game back. Bouzkova jumped ahead in the second tiebreak. She took home the opening point and never trailed after that. Between them, the pair converted five breaks apiece.
A Coco Gauff Rematch Takes the 2026 Cincinnati Open Court
Now comes another crack at Gauff, who Bouzkova leads 2-1 head-to-head.
Their last meeting came here in 2022, when a rolled ankle forced Gauff to retire while down 7-5, 1-0. Tuesday also delivered Bouzkova her 21st career Top 20 win, and her first in six 2026 WTA Tour appearances.
