NEW YORK: Sixteen-year-old Iva Jovic marked her Grand Slam debut with a straight sets win over experienced Magda Linette at the US Open on Monday.
Jovic, the youngest player in the draw and ranked a lowly 389, came through 6-4, 6-3 against her 42nd-ranked Polish opponent, an Australian Open semifinalist last year.
A California native born to Serbian immigrant parents, Jovic was awarded a wild-card into the US Open after winning the national under-18 title.
She also reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon girls’ singles event in July.
Ahead of her New York debut, Jovic had played only nine professional events and none at all on the main WTA tour.