By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, June 12, 2026
Picture credit score: Luke Walker/Getty for LTA
5 months after the king topped her a future world No. 1, Iva Jovic scored a milestone second at Queen’s Membership.
In an all-American conflict, Jovic defeated 2025 finalist Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to surge into the HSBC Championships semifinals on the historic Queen’s Membership grass.
The 18-year-old Jovic scored her first profession High 5 victory to succeed in her fourth semifinal of the season.
Jovic transformed six of 17 break factors and exploited an uncharacteristic 12 double faults from the 2025 Wimbledon finalist in a two-hour, 18 minute win. Jovic improved to 26-12 on the season.
Within the aftermath of Novak Djokovic’s 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) Australian Open third-round win over Botic van de Zandschulp in January, the Grand Slam king made a daring declare: Iva Jovic is a future world No. 1.
Djokovic, who’s pleasant with Jovic and her mother and father, Serbian immigrants to California, gave the American shrewd tactical recommendation that she utilized in her 6-2, 7-3(3) upset of seventh-seeded Jasmine Paolini in her first High 10 win on the Melbourne main.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion mentioned Jovic has the important thing qualities to rise to the highest and win Grand Slam titles.
“I obtained to know Iva final 12 months for the primary time. She’s so younger and he or she’s already making nice strides within the rankings and making some nice outcomes—she’s within the final 16. So we bumped into one another yesterday within the press space and I obtained to share some observations of her recreation,” Djokovic instructed Corridor of Famer Jim Courier on the AO. “I suppose [what I told her] stays between us. I noticed that she did give away in her press convention what I instructed her. That’s positive. It’s as much as her if she needs to share.
“Clearly, I actually like her. She’s a terrific lady and very nice household. Clearly, I really feel extra emotionally related to her due to her Serbian background. So I strive much more. She has all of the instruments to be a future champion—to be a future No. 1—and that’s precisely what I want for her.”
A 12 months in the past presently, Jovic was ranked No. 115.
Subsequent up for the world No. 19 is a Saturday semifinal towards both 2021 US Open champion and residential favourite Emma Raducanu or world No. 78 Kamila Rakhimova.
The 2024 Wimbledon semifinalist Donna Vekic broke serve 4 occasions overcoming former Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Vekic will face both top-seeded two-time main champion Elena Rybakina or Briton Katie Boulter in tomorrow’s semifinals.
