Emma Navarro, Iva Jovic, and Ann Li, three prominent American players, suffered unexpected second-round defeats on February 26, 2026, in the lead-up to the Sunshine Swing. These upsets occurred at the WTA 500 Merida Open Akron in Mexico and the WTA 250 ATX Open in Austin, Texas. The losses highlight challenges for the Americans ahead of major tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami.
On February 26, 2026, three American WTA players faced early exits in their respective tournaments, marking setbacks before the prestigious Sunshine Swing.
In Austin, Texas, at the WTA 250 ATX Open, unseeded Australian Ajla Tomljanovic upset second-seeded Iva Jovic, an 18-year-old American ranked No. 18, in a three-set match: 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. The contest lasted 2 hours and 31 minutes. Jovic, who entered with her right leg strapped and required a medical timeout for her left leg after the second set, had taken the first set with a break in the 10th game. Tomljanovic responded by breaking in the fifth game of the second set and building a 2-0 lead in the decider before securing the win. "It was really important to not let her get away with the scoreline in the second, just to stay close, keep my serve, and try to see for the looks on her serve to break," Tomljanovic said post-match. "It was a really high-level match, and she pushed me to play my best today."
At the WTA 500 Merida Open Akron in Mérida, Mexico, China's Shuai Zhang defeated second-seeded Emma Navarro, the defending champion ranked No. 20, in straight sets: 6-4, 6-4. Zhang, who qualified into the main draw, rallied from a break down in each set, improving her head-to-head record against Navarro to 3-0. The 37-year-old finished with 17 winners and 10 unforced errors, winning 68% of her first-serve points. "I don’t really know, because during the match I was thinking the same question," Zhang said in her on-court interview. "Maybe I like [how she hits] her balls, and she doesn’t like my balls."
In the same tournament, Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez, ranked No. 81, came from behind to beat third-seeded Ann Li, ranked No. 39, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, after 2 hours and 31 minutes. Li had won the first set, but Sonmez forced a tiebreak in the second and broke in the third. This victory improved Sonmez's 2026 record to 8-5.
These defeats leave Navarro at 4-7 for the season, Jovic with a week off before Indian Wells, and Li at 4-6. The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells is scheduled for March 4-15, followed by the Miami Open from March 15-29, both WTA Masters 1000 events.
