The 18-year-old American was unfazed by the seventh seed, powering to a 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) victory to reach the last 16 at a major for the first time in her career, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Jovic will next face Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva for a place in the quarter-finals.
“It feels amazing,” Jovic said after claiming her first win over a top-10 opponent. “I’ve been wanting this one for a while now and working really hard for it. I had a couple of tough losses and I’m just so happy to get through that barrier and get the win today.”
Ranked 191 this time last year, Jovic won her maiden WTA title in 2025 in Guadalajara at just 17 years old. She has carried that momentum into the new season, reaching the semi-finals in Auckland and the final in Hobart.
Despite being the 29th seed and a clear underdog against Paolini — who finished runner-up at both the French Open and Wimbledon in 2024 — Jovic dominated early, racing through the first set and sealing it with a blistering backhand winner down the line.
She remained in control during the second set in front of a packed John Cain Arena crowd but faltered when serving for the match at 5-4 and was broken. Paolini, however, failed to seize the opportunity as Jovic broke again to lead 6-5, only to be broken herself once more, forcing a tense tiebreak.
In the decider, Jovic held her nerve, executing her aggressive game plan to close out the match.
“I just tried to focus on what I was doing earlier in the match, being really aggressive and controlling the play,” she said of her approach in the tiebreak. “I just told myself to go out swinging.”
Jovic’s breakthrough followed another teenage upset at the tournament, with Czech qualifier Nikola Bartunkova eliminating Swiss 10th seed Belinda Bencic on Thursday.
