Iva Jovic and Kaitlin Quevedo Achieve Career Milestones in Latest WTA Rankings

Iva Jovic, the youngest player currently in the Top 50, successfully defended her title at Guadalajara, marking her second WTA crown. The 18-year-old defeated former champions Zeynep Sonmez, Magdalena Frech, and Cristina Bucsa, ultimately besting reigning Austin champion Peyton Stearns in the final. This was the third all-American WTA final of 2026, following Stearns' victory over Taylor Townsend in Austin and Coco Gauff's win against Jessica Pegula in Cincinnati.

After winning Guadalajara, Jovic advanced three positions in the PIF WTA Rankings to a career-high No. 13. Stearns, who reached her first WTA 500 final, moved up 24 spots from No. 60 to No. 36.

Sao Paulo also crowned a young first-time champion, with Spain’s Kaitlin Quevedo, 20, winning her first title in only her eighth tour-level main draw appearance. Previously, she had reached the finals of a WTA 125 event in Targu Mures last month. Quevedo ascended 32 places in the rankings from No. 105 to a career-high No. 73 after defeating fellow first-time finalist Nadia Podoroska, making this the second all-first-time-finalist title match of 2026.

Podoroska's path to the final included an upset over Paula Badosa, marking her first appearance in a WTA final since Paula Ormaechea in Bogota in 2013. Podoroska, who made a strong comeback after missing 14 months due to a hip injury, rose 117 spots from No. 317 to No. 200.

Three WTA 125 tournaments were also held last week in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal; Valencia, Spain; and Ljubljana, Slovenia. In Caldas da Rainha, Italy’s Lisa Pigato secured her second WTA 125 title of the season, defeating Gabriela Knutson 6-4, 6-2. Pigato moved up 24 ranks to a career-high No. 113.

Knutson, who finished as runner-up for the second consecutive year, remained at No. 163 but has a strong record of 11-3 since early August. Italy’s Samira De Stefano won the title in Ljubljana, marking her fourth career trophy and her first one beyond the first round at WTA 125 level. She climbed 64 spots to No. 193. In Valencia, Clara Burel triumphed over Alicia Herrero Linana to win her second WTA 125 title and is now ranked No. 218, rising 83 places.

Several players experienced significant ranking changes. Cristina Bucsa rose nine spots to No. 35, following her impressive run in Mexico. Liudmila Samsonova climbed 13 places to No. 37 after reaching the Guadalajara semifinals. Magdalena Frech, the 2024 Guadalajara champion, jumped 12 spots to No. 45.

Former No. 2 Paula Badosa improved 13 rankings to No. 57, and Alina Charaeva moved up 12 to No. 121 after reaching the quarterfinals in Sao Paulo. Sloane Stephens gained 34 spots to No. 135, marking a successful quarterfinal run in Guadalajara.

New rankings milestones were also achieved by Teodora Kostovic, Anna Siskova, Mia Pohankova, Noemi Basiletti, Yasmine Kabbaj, Joelle Steur, and Nauhany Vitoria Leme Da Silva. Each player showed notable advancements following recent successes in their respective tournaments.