MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Elena Rybakina sent another teenager packing from the Australian Open on Thursday after the sixth seed beat American wildcard Iva Jovic 6-0 6-3 to move into the third round.
Aged just 17, Jovic was the youngest player in the second round of the women’s draw but looked well out of her depth in the opening set against the former Wimbledon champion, who is 184 rungs above her in the WTA rankings.
Rybakina, who had dispatched 16-year-old Australian wildcard and junior world number one Emerson Jones in the first round, raced through the first set in just 27 minutes, firing 18 winners past the overwhelmed Jovic.
But with nothing to lose, the teen elevated her game in the second set to finally get on the board when she broke Rybakina after a marathon second game that went to deuce nine times, giving the American confidence to play her shots.
Jovic went 3-1 up as the crowd at John Cain Arena roared for the underdog, but Rybakina composed herself and quickly restored order by winning the next five games, sealing victory on her second match point when a service return went long.
Rybakina, a 2023 finalist at Melbourne Park, will play Ukrainian 32nd seed Dayana Yastremska in the next round.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Neil Fullick)
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