Torrance’s Iva Jovic Makes History at 17 Years Old:
Youngest Women’s Tennis Champion on Tour in 2025

Seventeen and unstoppable. Torrance native Iva Jovic made history at the 2025 Guadalajara Open (WTA 500), turning a single week into a series of unforgettable milestones. In just a few days, she notched her first WTA Tour-level quarterfinal, first semifinal, first final, and ultimately her first title.

Unseeded and ranked outside the Top 70, Jovic rattled off five straight wins, culminating in a straight-sets victory over Colombia’s Emiliana Arango, 6-4, 6-1. The final lasted just one hour and 35 minutes, a testament to her efficiency and composure. In the quarterfinals, she saved match point against Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, showcasing the mental toughness that has become her hallmark. By the final, her calm, poised play reflected the maturity of a seasoned veteran.

Her longtime coach, Peter Smith, wasn’t surprised: Smith, who also serves as the General Manager and Director of Tennis at the Jack Kramer Club and brings over 34 years of coaching experience including time as a USC coach, said, “Iva is one of those rare individuals in life who, when you meet them, you immediately know they’re truly special. She could have been great at anything. Fortunately for tennis, she chose this sport. From the very first time I was on court with her at age 11, it was clear she was different—focused, hardworking, and unbelievably competitive.”

During the trophy presentation, Jovic stayed grounded, congratulating her opponent who had battled illness all week. “All of you made this happen, generating incredible energy,” Jovic told spectators after her win. “It’s not easy to start on the tour when you’re young, but people like Emiliana make it easier, who always have a smile and make you feel better. You showed so much fight, and gave the people a show.”

Jovic’s triumph made her the youngest American to win a WTA Tour-level title since Coco Gauff at the 2021 Emilia-Romagna Open and the youngest singles champion on the women’s tour this season at 17 years and 283 days, narrowly edging Mirra Andreeva’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title by just 16 days. The victory lifted her 37 spots to World No. 36, making her the 12th player to reach the Top 50 this year and the first player born in 2007 to claim a WTA trophy, signaling a generational shift at the top of the sport. Few teenagers on tour can win a title before turning 18, and many established Top 50 players have not done so this season. For American tennis, her rise comes at an electrifying moment. With Serena and Venus Williams of Compton having set the standard, Gauff a US Open champion, and now Jovic making her breakthrough, the future of U.S. tennis has never looked brighter, with Southern California at the heart of it.

Smith believes her ability to handle these breakthrough moments comes from years of steady growth. “She won [USTA Southern California] 18-and-under Sectionals at 13, reached the finals of a $15K pro tournament at 14, won Nationals at 16, and a main-draw US Open match that same year. Now, at 17, she’s top 40 in the world with a WTA 500 title. All of her early success prepared her for what came next.” 

Importantly, Jovic was not the only teenage champion on tour this week. French player Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah claimed the WTA 250 São Paulo title, marking the first time since 2008 that two teenagers won WTA titles in the same week. This continues a remarkable trend in 2025: teenagers are undefeated in singles finals so far, with a 7-0 record, highlighting the bright future of women’s tennis.

Southern California Roots

Jovic’s rise to the top wasn’t accidental, it was nurtured in one of Southern California’s most legendary tennis environments. The Jack Kramer Club in Rolling Hills Estates has been a cornerstone of American tennis since 1962, producing stars like Tracy Austin, Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport, Eliot Teltscher, and others, fostering generations of national-level players.

For Jovic, the club was more than 13 tennis courts. It offered a complete athletic foundation and a community that nurtured her growth. She spent countless hours on sun-drenched courts perfecting her strokes, building endurance, and learning the discipline to compete at the highest level. Tennis became part of her daily rhythm, with mornings for practice, afternoons for matches, and evenings at family dinners where each point was relived with laughter and pride. It was there that she discovered her passion for the game and developed the skills that would carry her to the professional stage.

“She played aggressive from the very beginning,” Smith said. “Of course she wanted to win, but she wasn’t going to push or moonball just to do it. Her footwork, her shots—they were aggressive by nature. Her body eventually caught up to her style of play, and then there was no stopping her. That’s something her father Bojan instilled in her, but Iva truly made it her own.”

The environment around her only reinforced that approach. “We’ve had as many as 150 kids playing seriously at the Kramer Club, and it’s cool to be a good tennis player here,” Smith explained. “She’d see Tracy Austin around the courts while she was training—someone who won the US Open at 16. That’s a pretty incredible role model to have just down the hall.”

A Foundation of Hard Work

Smith described Jovic’s practice sessions as relentless. “To watch her train is a thing of beauty,” Smith said. “Not one moment is wasted—she can do three hours of work in one hour. I remember once during warm-up, the very first serve her partner hit was way out and short. Most players would just let it go. Iva sprinted for it and cracked a return. She doesn’t take any shots off.”

That mentality carried into competition. At 14, Jovic received a wildcard into the SoCal Pro Circuit, a $15,000 ITF/USTA Pro Circuit event now known as the SoCal Pro Series, held at her home club. Facing a mix of seasoned college players and rising pros, she stunned the field by advancing to the final. Competing on the very courts where she had grown up training gave her crucial experience and the belief that she belonged at the professional level.

Smith remembers that week vividly, because Jovic’s peers were right there with her. “When she was 14 and playing the SoCal Pro Series, all the ball kids were her friends and her age,” he said. “I actually had to tell them not to talk to her during matches. That’s how connected she was to her community. And now those same kids get to say they ball-kidded for a future Top 40 player. She inspires everyone around here.”

The SoCal Pro Series has long been a vital stepping stone for junior standouts and aspiring pros looking to make the jump to the international tour. For Jovic, those early matches showcased her talent and launched her career, setting the stage for her first WTA Tour-level title.

The Path to the WTA Tour

Jovic’s professional breakthrough continued in 2023 with her first pro title at the $25,000 Ascension Project Women’s Open in Redding. Less than a year later, she earned wildcards into both singles and doubles at the 2024 US Open by winning the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s National Championships in San Diego. At 16, she made history by defeating Magda Linette in the first round, becoming the youngest American to win a women’s singles match at the US Open since 2000.

Success followed quickly. A month later, sitting at World No. 290, Jovic captured the W75 Rancho Santa Fe Open, defeating Rancho Palos Verdes’ Ena Shibahara. That victory marked her tenth consecutive win, coming off a title the week before at the W35 Berkeley event.

Her momentum carried into 2025, turning belief into results. She made her Australian Open main draw debut after winning the USTA Wild Card Challenge, securing a first-round victory over Nuria Parrizas Dias. At Indian Wells, she advanced to the second round on her WTA 1000 debut as a wildcard, with a thrilling win over Julia Grabher in three sets. She also earned a wildcard entry into the French Open through the USTA Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge, claiming a first-round victory over Renata Zarazúa.

June brought another milestone as Jovic claimed her first WTA 125 title at the Ilkley Open, breaking into the Top 100 for the first time. In August, she reached the third round of a WTA 1000 at the Cincinnati Open and followed it up with wins in Cleveland and the US Open before her Guadalajara breakthrough.

Her triumph in Guadalajara cemented her as one of the brightest young stars in women’s tennis and a proud product of Southern California’s rich tennis tradition.

For Smith, the victory was a dream realized. “I’m just happy for her,” he said. “This was her dream. It’s something she has worked incredibly hard to achieve. Her parents have given so much for her to succeed—they deserve all the credit. Her dad being there in Guadalajara was fitting. He’s been such an important influence every step of the way.”