Danielle Collins expressed her admiration for how Iva Jović is performing at the 2026 Australian Open. She was particularly impressed with a brilliant shot the 18-year-old executed during her second-round match at the Grand Slam tournament.
Ahead of the Melbourne Major, Jović participated in the 2026 Hobart International, where she defeated the likes of Janice Tjen, Renata Zarazúa, Magda Linette, and Taylah Preston to reach the final. There, she finished as the runner-up against Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Danielle Collins Impressed by Iva Jović’s Brilliant Shot at the 2026 Australian Open
Jović is seeded 29th at the 2026 Australian Open, and she began her campaign by defeating her compatriot Katie Volynets with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-3 in the first round. In the second round, she eliminated wild card Priscilla Hon with a 6-1, 6-2 score, advancing to the third round.
During her match against Hon, Jović delivered a stunning “lasso forehand” shot, which garnered widespread admiration.
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Impressed by this brilliant shot, Collins took to social media and shared the video of Jović executing the forehand, praising the 18-year-old.
“What @iva_jovic07 is doing rn is something 🔥 🎾 🇺🇸,” Collins captioned her Instagram story.
In addition to her singles campaign at the 2026 Australian Open, Jović is also competing in the doubles event alongside Victoria Mboko. They have reached the second round, where they will face the fourth-seeded pair of Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai.
Who Will Iva Jović Face at the 2026 Australian Open 3R?
Following her victory over Hon in the second round of the 2026 Australian Open, Jović is set to face Jasmine Paolini in the third round of the tournament. Before the Grand Slam event, Paolini represented Italy at the 2026 United Cup, where she experienced mixed results in the group stage: she lost to Belinda Bencic but bounced back to defeat Léolia Jeanjean.
Paolini is seeded seventh at the Melbourne Major and kicked off her campaign by defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-2 in the first round. She then secured her spot in the third round against Jović by eliminating Magdalena Fręch with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-0 in the second round.
Jović and Paolini have faced each other twice on the WTA Tour, with the Italian winning both encounters. Their most recent match took place in the second round of the 2025 US Open, where Paolini secured a 6-3, 6-3 win.
The winner of the third round match between Jović and Paolini at the 2026 Australian Open will advance to face either Yulia Putintseva or qualifier Zeynep Sönmez in the fourth round.
In addition to her singles campaign at the Melbourne Major, Paolini is also competing in the doubles event alongside Sara Errani. They are seeded second and have advanced to the second round, where they will face the wild card pair of Kimberly Birrell and Talia Gibson.
