Iva Jovic returned to the place where her breakthrough began and left Guadalajara Open with another trophy, another unbeaten week and a new career-high ranking. The 18-year-old American defeated compatriot Peyton Stearns 6-4, 6-2 in the Guadalajara Open final on Saturday to successfully defend her title and claim the second WTA singles crown of her career.
The victory was particularly significant because Jovic had won her maiden WTA Tour title at the same venue a year ago, then aged 17. Twelve months later, she returned as the No. 2 seed and completed another title run without dropping a set, becoming the first repeat singles champion in the short history of the Guadalajara tournament.
The final itself was much tighter than the eventual scoreline suggested. Jovic and Stearns traded holds through the opening eight games, with neither player managing to create a breakpoint. The deadlock finally ended when Jovic found the breakthrough at 5-4. The American held her nerve to serve out the opening set after 46 minutes and take the first major step towards retaining her crown.
The momentum shifted decisively at the start of the second set. Jovic immediately broke Stearns’ serve and consolidated the advantage to move 2-0 ahead. Stearns was unable to reproduce the resistance she had shown in the opening set, while Jovic continued to dictate the exchanges and put pressure on her opponent’s service games.
Another break at 5-2 left Jovic serving for the championship. She needed three championship points before sealing the contest with a backhand winner down the line, completing a 6-4, 6-2 victory in one hour and 26 minutes. The championship also extended Jovic’s remarkable record in Guadalajara. She is now 9-0 at the tournament, having won both of her appearances without losing a set.
Her title run this year included victories over Zeynep Sonmez, Magdalena Frech and Cristina Bucsa before she overcame Stearns in the final. For Stearns, the final represented the biggest tournament final of her career at WTA 500 level. The American had arrived in Guadalajara after winning the ATX Open in February and reached the championship match without dropping a set. She defeated Liudmila Samsonova in the semifinal after recovering from an early deficit, but could not produce another comeback against Jovic.
Jovic’s rise has been particularly rapid. Last year, she became the youngest American to win a tour-level title since Coco Gauff in 2021 and the youngest WTA 500 champion since Martina Hingis in 1998. This season, she has continued to build on that breakthrough, reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals, another final in Hobart and the second week at both Wimbledon and the US Open.
The Guadalajara triumph has now pushed her to another significant milestone. Jovic rises three places to No. 13 in the latest PIF WTA Rankings, a new career high and her first entry into the world’s top 15. Stearns also climbed substantially, moving up 24 places to No. 36 after her run to the final. During the trophy presentation, Jovic reflected on the special connection she has developed with the Mexican crowd.
“It’s amazing to be back here in the final with this beautiful trophy and this sombrero,” Jovic said during the trophy presentation. “I love it here. You guys have given me so much energy. The crowd is my favorite thing about coming here, so thank you so much for being here.”
The Guadalajara Open is a WTA 500 event played on outdoor hard courts at the Centro Panamericano de Tenis. The tournament shifted from WTA 1000 status to WTA 500 in 2024 and has quickly become a significant stop on the hard-court calendar before the Asian swing.
Jovic’s second Guadalajara title is less about defending a trophy and more about confirming that last year’s breakthrough was not an isolated moment. Returning to the same tournament as the defending champion brought a different set of expectations, but Jovic handled them with consistency. She did not drop a set throughout the week and defeated three seeded or established opponents before facing Stearns in an all-American final.
The progression is also visible in the rankings. A player who entered Guadalajara last year ranked No. 73 now leaves Mexico at No. 13 in the world. At just 18, Jovic has already collected two WTA titles, reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal and established a remarkable record at one tournament. The next challenge will be carrying that momentum beyond Guadalajara, where the conditions, opponents and expectations will change.
For now, though, the Mexican city remains firmly tied to the most important chapters of Jovic’s young career. One year after announcing herself on the WTA stage, she returned and did it all over again.
