Teenager Eva Jovic says she is “really excited” to test herself against the “best” after reaching her first Grand Slam quarter-final against world number one Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open.
American Jovich, who turned 18 in December, dropped just one game in a 6-0 6-1 win over Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva.
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Earlier on Sunday, two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka defeated another rising tennis star, 19-year-old Canada’s Victoria Mboko, 6-1 7-6 (7-1) at Rod Laver Arena.
When asked about his next round match against Sabalenka, Jovic said: “I think I’ll continue to work hard on taking care of my net.
“Obviously she’s number one for a reason and has had so much success in this race, but that’s what I want.
“I said last year that I wanted to be able to play here this year because you definitely want to play your best game and see how it goes. I’m really excited.”
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Jovic is the 29th seed in Melbourne and has never made it past the second round of a Grand Slam before.
She easily defeated Putintseva in just 53 minutes in the fourth round and defeated seventh seed Jasmine Paolini in straight sets, her first win against a top-10 player in the world.
Jovic said earlier in the event that she was grateful for the advice she received during her meeting with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
After Saturday’s third-round win, Djokovic said Jovic “has all the tools” to become a “future champion and a future No. 1.”
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Like Jovic, Belarusian Sabalenka has yet to drop a set at this year’s Australian Open.
She has now reached at least the quarter-finals of 13 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments and is two wins away from reaching her fourth consecutive final in Melbourne.
She is the 2023 and 2024 champion, losing to American Madison Keys in last year’s final.
The 27-year-old appeared to be easing past No. 17 seed Mboko, taking a set lead and a double break.
However, she narrowly missed out on a 4-1 lead in the second set before sealing the victory in the tie-break for her 20th consecutive Grand Slam win, breaking Novak Djokovic’s previous record.
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“She’s an amazing player and it was a pretty intense battle and I’m really happy to end it in straight sets,” Sabalenka said.
“The second set was a little tricky, but I’m happy with my performance and happy to advance.”