Iva Jovic Defends Title at 2026 Guadalajara Open

The 18-year-old, currently ranked No. 14, completed the match in 1 hour and 26 minutes, not facing any break points during the final. Jovic secured 70.2% of her service points (40 out of 57) compared to Stearns’ 58.8% (30 out of 51) and achieved 41.2% of her return points against Stearns' 29.8% overall, winning 61 out of 108 points played.

Throughout the tournament, Jovic did not drop a set, defeating Zeynep Sonmez 7-6 (5), 6-4, Polish No. 7 seed Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-1, and Spanish No. 6 seed Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 6-1.

This victory marks Jovic's second career WTA singles title, following her first win at the same event last year against Emiliana Arango. In her acceptance speech, she expressed her enthusiasm: “It’s amazing to be back here in the final with this beautiful trophy and this sombrero. 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. I’m just happy with the improvements I’ve made throughout the year. I think I’ve shown that I’m a more complete and better player than I was this time around last year.”

Stearns, ranked No. 55, reached the final by defeating Colombian Emiliana Arango 6-3, 6-2, French No. 4 seed Diane Parry 6-2, 7-5, wildcard Sloane Stephens 7-6 (6), 6-4, and Russian No. 8 seed Liudmila Samsonova 7-6 (7), 6-2. After the match, Stearns acknowledged her appreciation for the event, stating, “Clearly you love Guadalajara and Guadalajara loves you. Hopefully you keep coming back here. Great week for me too. Super proud of myself.”