American teenager Iva Jovic — the youngest player in this year’s draw at just 16 — saw her U.S. Open run end with a hard-fought match that was mature beyond her tender years.
No. 29 Ekaterina Alexandrova advanced with a 4-6, 6-4, 7–5 second-round victory over Jovic, but it was more of an escape than a win.
Jovic, who was by far the more composed of the two, staved off six match points before finally falling on the seventh.
She’s still playing doubles, junior singles and junior doubles, but her performance in singles was impressive.
The young American wild card grew up playing tennis on her apartment roof in California with her big sister Mia. Now she’s flying high in Flushing Meadows with unexpected victories.
Ranked No. 389, Jovic was playing her first tour-level main draw, and was facing a Top-50 player for the first time.
She didn’t wilt under the pressure, or the oppressive 93 degree heat. Jovic simply came up a shot or two short.
Down 5-4 and facing triple match point, she fought back for deuce.
A double-fault by Alexandrova kept her in the match, and a forehand winner down the line gave Jovic a break point. When she won it, the crowd on Court 12 rewarded her with chants of “Iva! Iva! Iva!”
Jovic survived several break points, when Alexandrova sent her shot long and started banging her racquet on the court. But she recovered and eventually served out the match.
American Brandon Nakashima continued his resurgence, reaching the third round of the U.S. Open by beating France’s Arthur Cazaux 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
It marks six straight sets won by the young Californian. He was brutally efficient, with a strong backhand, improved serve and restored confidence. That last might well be the most important.
“Yeah. I think it’s a little combination of everything. The last couple months winning a lot of close matches and getting that confidence back,” Nakashima said. “I think my team and I, we’ve done a really good job with both on the court and also off the court with the mentality and everything, just staying strong through all these tough moments. And I think confidence is definitely one of the big keys in closing these close matches out.”
Nakashima won 75 percent of points on his first serve, and hit just two unforced errors when returning his foe’s serve.
With five American men ranked in the Top 20 — and Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe having already set up a high-profile third-round rematch on Friday — Nakashima has been largely overlooked. But the 23-year-old San Diegan isn’t taking it personally.
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