As the 18-year-old rising American tennis star Iva Jović continues to surge at the Australian Open, former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport believes the teenager is at a familiar crossroads in American tennis history. The Hall of Famer sees striking similarities between Jović’s current momentum in Melbourne and the tournament that transformed Madison Keys from a promising teenager into a mainstay on the sport’s biggest stages.
Lindsay Davenport Sees Parallels Between Iva Jović’s Australian Open Rise and Madison Keys’ Breakthrough
Jović’s rapid ascent helps explain why Davenport’s comparison resonates. The Southern California native first built her reputation as a standout junior, capturing the 2024 Australian Open and Wimbledon girls’ doubles titles with Tyra Caterina Grant and finishing as a runner-up at Roland Garros. She carried that confidence into the professional ranks, winning her first ITF title in Charlottesville before claiming a WTA 125 trophy in Ilkley in 2025.
Her Grand Slam résumé continued to grow with multiple second-round appearances across majors, laying the groundwork for a breakthrough season. That breakthrough arrived in Guadalajara, where she lifted her first WTA Tour title, becoming the youngest player to win a WTA title that season and the youngest American to do so since Coco Gauff in 2021. Earlier this year, she also reached the Hobart International final, adding another milestone to her steady climb.
Against that backdrop, Davenport reflected on a moment she knows well. “I was thinking about Madison Keys’ great run here in 2015,” Davenport said, recalling how Keys arrived in Melbourne as a teenager and began her campaign away from the spotlight.
Iva Jovic is rising up the ranks and making her way towards center court 🌠#AO26 pic.twitter.com/WMCtSsmkny
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 24, 2026
“She came here as a teenager. She started that campaign on a field court in her very first round. That tournament really changed her life. She ended up reaching the semifinals and didn’t play on a field court again up until this point.”
Davenport then turned her focus squarely to Jović, explaining why the parallels feel so strong. “And I just get the sense that Iva Jovic is on that same trajectory,” she said. Davenport noted that Jović opened this year’s Australian Open on Court 13 against fellow American Katie Volynets, navigating that match in straight sets.
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“She started her Australian Open campaign this year on Court 13 against fellow American Katie Volynets. On an outside court, Jovic was able to get through that one in straight sets,” Davenport said, before highlighting how quickly things have escalated. “She’s playing a Round of 16 match today. She’s just 18 years old and on her way into the top 20, oh so close to breaking into it.”
Davenport stressed the significance of the moment still ahead. “It’s a really big chance for her today to get through to the quarterfinals of a Major for the first time,” she said, before delivering her strongest endorsement yet. “I just don’t have a feeling we’re going to see her on a field court again. She is a superstar. Her game, her work ethic, everything about her tells me she’s going to be on the main show courts from here on out.”
Davenport’s remarks were delivered during a Tennis Channel segment in Melbourne as Jović prepared for her fourth-round match at the Australian Open. The 29th seed cruised past compatriot Katie Volynets, local wildcard Priscilla Hon, and seventh seed Jasmine Paolini to reach her maiden fourth round of a Grand Slam, where she will take on Yulia Putintseva in their first meeting on the WTA Tour. The winner of that match will face top seed Aryna Sabalenka.
