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American teen Iva Jovic falls to Diana Shnaider in three sets in the Ningbo Open quarterfinals
The 18-year-old from California forced a third set but the sixth seed pulled away 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 to reach her third straight Ningbo semifinal.
American teenager Iva Jovic's run at the Ningbo Open ended in the quarterfinals on Friday. Sixth seed Diana Shnaider beat the fourth-seeded Jovic 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in two hours and 11 minutes.
The 18-year-old from Torrance, California, came into the match ranked No. 12 in the world, one spot ahead of Shnaider. The 22-year-old Shnaider got some payback for February, when Jovic beat her in the second round in Dubai and won the deciding set 6-0.
Jovic fights back
Shnaider took the first set 6-3, but Jovic answered by winning the second 6-4 to force a decider. From there, Shnaider took control and raced through the third set.
Jovic did not go quietly. She saved two match points with return winners before Shnaider closed it out on her third.
A happy hunting ground
Ningbo keeps treating Shnaider well. She reached the final here in 2023 and the semifinals last year. She is now 10-3 at the tournament after making her third straight semifinal.
On Saturday she will face either top seed and defending champion Elena Rybakina or qualifier Katarzyna Kawa. The other semifinal pits Marie Bouzkova against Leylah Fernandez. Bouzkova beat Sara Bejlek 6-3, 6-4 while Fernandez came back to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
At just 18, Jovic is already ranked No. 12 in the world.
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