Iva Jovic is not only focusing on her own success at the 2026 Cincinnati Open but also championing her fellow American stars. After winning her tournament opener, the 18-year-old voiced her support for Coco Gauff while also sharing her reaction to Ben Shelton’s unexpectedly early exit.
Iva Jovic Reacts to Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton at Cincinnati Open
After her Canadian Open campaign ended in a disappointing third-round loss to Alina Korneeva, Jovic made an impressive turnaround at the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati. Following a bye in the first round, the No. 13 seed claimed a dominant 6-4, 6-3 win over Tamara Korpatsch in her opening match.
Appearing on Tennis Channel after her victory, Jovic expressed her intention to watch Coco Gauff’s second-round match against Liudmila Samsonova and revealed that she was cheering on her fellow American.
“I mean, I didn’t even look far enough ahead to know who’s in my section, but I will definitely be watching this because yeah, rooting for my fellow American Coco here. This will be what I’m doing on the ride back to the hotel,” Jovic said.
The 18-year-old was treated to an entertaining battle as Gauff rallied from a set down to claim a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Samsonova and advance to the third round.
Jovic was also eager to check Ben Shelton’s result, only to learn that he had suffered a 4-6, 4-6 loss to Jaime Faria in his tournament opener. However, she quickly brushed aside the disappointment, pointing out that Shelton had just clinched the ATP Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open.
“I don’t know if Ben finished yet. Did he lose or? Shoot. Okay. Well, it’s fine. He won the title last week, but yeah, I’ll be following this,” she added.
Focusing on her own campaign, Jovic looked ahead to her third-round clash against Marie Bouzková, shedding light on her plans to do her homework before their first tour-level encounter.
“I mean, hopefully I can keep building, keep playing better, gaining confidence match by match. I’ve never played her, never practiced with her. So, I’m going to have to do a little bit of research. My coach will do some research too. Hopefully I can just play some good tennis,” she said.
Iva Jovic and Coco Gauff are on course for a blockbuster all-American showdown in the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open. For that matchup to materialize, however, Jovic must first overcome Bouzková, while Gauff will have to beat Ann Li in their respective third-round encounters.
