US Open: Gauff sweeps Jovic to clinch quarterfinal ticket

Coco Gauff just proved to be too much for Iva Jovic. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Coco Gauff’s stellar US Open campaign will still be on full display after she dominated compatriot Iva Jovic, 6-1, 6-4, in their round-of-16 clash on Sept. 8, 2026, at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

In almost a week on the Grand Slam stage, Gauff has yet to drop a single set since her clinical first-round victory over Zeynep Sonmez, extending her perfect US Open run to four consecutive 2-0 wins to book a spot in the quarterfinals.

Jovic had a great start after immediately scoring a much-needed break point in the first game of the opener, but Gauff countered quickly by sweeping the next six games.

After breaking back and tallying two straight service holds, Gauff instantly retook the driver’s seat and never looked back.

While Gauff’s baseline adjustment stole the show, Jovic’s inconsistency became the reason why she fumbled midway through the first set.

In just the first period, Jovic committed 14 unforced errors, including a series of point-blank forehand misses in the final three games.

Jovic showed flashes of her majestic tennis against Alex Eala in the second set, providing a stiffer challenge to the retooled Gauff by going the distance to a 3-all deadlock.

However, Gauff clawed her way back from a 15-30 deficit in the ninth game, bagged a break, and held on to a 5-4 lead.

Despite Jovic finding her groundstroke groove in the late stretch of the final game, Gauff stood still and took care of business, banking on her vicious forehand bombs to arrange a quarterfinal duel with Mirra Andreeva, who earlier edged Anastasia Potapova, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

After the lopsided showcase, Gauff wrapped up the round-of-16 win with 65 total points won, including two aces, five break points, and 33 on the return.

“Honestly, I just got a lot of looks on break points,” Gauff said after the win.

“The difference was capitalizing on those break point opportunities. I thought I served really well, Iva is a great returner, she is known to break people a lot.”