Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia defeated second-seeded Iva Jovic of the United States 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals of the WTA 250 ATX Open in Austin, Texas. The 32-year-old world No. 74 came back after dropping the first set in a match lasting about 2 hours and 30 minutes. This victory follows her first-round upset over Venus Williams.
In a closely contested second-round match at the WTA 250 ATX Open, unseeded Ajla Tomljanovic overcame the challenges posed by 18-year-old Iva Jovic, ranked No. 18 in the world and the tournament's No. 2 seed. Jovic, who entered with her right leg strapped, took the opening set 6-4 after breaking Tomljanovic in the 10th game. Tomljanovic responded in the second set, breaking Jovic in the fifth game and holding serve to level the match at one set all. After losing the second set, Jovic requested a medical timeout and had her left leg strapped.
The third set saw Tomljanovic jump to a 2-0 lead, but Jovic fought back to tie at 4-4. Tomljanovic then secured a crucial break in the ninth game and served out the match for the 6-4 win after 2 hours and 31 minutes. This marks Tomljanovic's second consecutive victory in the tournament, having previously upset Venus Williams in the first round.
Reflecting on the match, Tomljanovic said, "It was really important not to let her run away with the second set, to stay in touch, to hold my serve and try to find a break on hers. It was a very high-level match, and she pushed me to bring out my best today." She added, "She's world No. 18, she's very young, she's an incredible player. I feel like I've made a lot of progress since last year, so that progress makes me excited. These are exactly the kind of matches you look forward to playing as a professional tennis player."
Tomljanovic, now ranked No. 103 and a former world No. 29, will face compatriot Kimberly Birrell in the quarterfinals. The draw now features only one remaining seed, No. 4 Peyton Stearns, who advanced with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Kaja Juvan. Ashlyn Krueger also progressed, defeating Anastasia Zakharova 7-5, 6-3 after upsetting seventh seed Caty McNally in the first round.
