Lily Maxwell
Iva Jovic will play Jessica Pegula for just the second time when they meet in Charleston.
They played their first match at the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year, where Pegula defeated Jovic, 6-4, 6-2.
Jovic, 18, will be hoping for a better outcome in Charleston, but is more than aware of the task at hand.
Iva Jovic says Jessica Pegula makes you ‘really work for it’
During her quarter-final post-match press conference, Jovic was asked for her thoughts on Pegula.
“I think it’s obviously one of the best players in the world right now, and consistently for the past years,” she said.
“She’s very solid, doesn’t give away a lot, and places her serve very well.
Jessica Pegula’s serving stats (2026)
- Aces – 114 (6th on WTA Tour)
- 1st Serve % – 62.8% (105th on WTA Tour)
- 1st Serve points % – 71.6% (13th on WTA Tour)
- 2nd Serve points % – 52.4% (11th on WTA Tour)
- Serve points won % – 64.5% (4th on WTA Tour)
- Break points saved % – 59.3% (45th on WTA Tour)
- Serve games won % – 80.9% (6th on WTA Tour)
“You really have to beat her, she’s not going to have one of those days where, ‘Oh, I’m not playing so well…’
“She showed this week that even if she goes down, or if you’re having a hot start, she’s going to come back and she’s going to make you really work for it.
Jessica Pegula at the Charleston Open
| Match | Opponent | Score | Match time |
| Quarter-final | Diana Shnaider | 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 | 2 hours, 10 minutes |
| Third round | Elisabetta Cocciaretto | 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 | 2 hours, 5 minutes |
| Second round | Yulia Putintseva | 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 | 3 hours, 10 minutes |
“No one has been able to shut the door on her… Yet.
“It’s not enough to get up, go ahead, and she’s going to go away, no, you really have to go out there and beat her.
“So it will be tough.”
Pegula was just as complimentary towards Jovic when asked about the youngster during her latest press conference.
“Iva [Jovic], I haven’t played her on clay, but just played her in Dubai; she’s playing great tennis,” she said.
Jessica Pegula vs Iva Jovic – Match stats (Dubai)
| Stats | Jessica Pegula | Iva Jovic |
| Aces | 5 | 3 |
| Double faults | 1 | 1 |
| 1st Serve % | 98% | 98% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 77% | 59% |
| Break points | 3/8 | 0/1 |
| Points won | 61 | 46 |
“Super tough competitor, very focused, works really hard, doesn’t have a ton of holes in her game.
“I feel like she’s just an overall, really solid player.
“I think she’s been playing at a really high level this whole year, and yeah, it will be tricky playing her on clay.
“It’s always different from playing on a really fast hard court in Dubai, so we will see how that varies.”
It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious, but you certainly won’t want to miss their second career meeting.
Pegula and Jovic will battle it out for a place in the Charleston Open final on Saturday, March 4.
What’s on the line for Jessica Pegula and Iva Jovic?
A place in the final, of course, but that’s not all that’s up for grabs.
If Pegula can beat Jovic, she will hold on to the world number five spot, ahead of her fellow American Amanda Anisimova.
Defending 500 points from her title win last year, Pegula has temporarily dropped behind Anisimova in the ‘Live WTA Rankings’, but will move back ahead if she reaches the final.
Live WTA top 10
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Points with next win |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | Belarus | 11,025 | – |
| 2 | Elena Rybakina | Kazakhstan | 8,108 | – |
| 3 | Coco Gauff | USA | 7,278 | – |
| 4 | Iga Swiatek | Poland | 7,263 | – |
| 5 | Amanda Anisimova | USA | 5,995 | – |
| 6 | Jessica Pegula | USA | 5,938 | 6,068 |
| 7 | Elina Svitolina | Ukraine | 3,965 | – |
| 8 | Jasmine Paolini | Italy | 3,907 | – |
| 9 | Victoria Mboko | Canada | 3,531 | – |
| 10 | Mirra Andreeva | Russia | 3,121 | – |
Jovic, too, can move up the rankings with a win.
She currently sits 16th, but can jump ahead of Naomi Osaka into 15th and ward off the challenge of Madison Keys if she beats Pegula.
Live WTA Rankings (11-20)
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Points with next win |
| 11 | Belinda Bencic | Switzerland | 3,090 | – |
| 12 | Karolina Muchova | Czechia | 2,993 | – |
| 13 | Ekaterina Alexandrova | Russia | 2,886 | – |
| 14 | Linda Noskova | Czechia | 2,801 | – |
| 15 | Naomi Osaka | Japan | 2,324 | – |
| 16 | Iva Jovic | USA | 2,270 | 2,400 |
| 17 | Madison Keys | USA | 2,161 | 2,291 |
| 18 | Clara Tauson | Denmark | 2,040 | – |
| 19 | Diana Shnaider | Russia | 2,001 | – |
| 20 | Elise Mertens | Belgium | 1,906 | – |
Jovic has never been ranked inside the top 15.
Will that change this week? Only time will tell…
