Ningbo: Jovic overcomes Paolini to reach the last eight
· BehindLines newsroom
Iva Jovic reached the quarterfinals in Ningbo by beating Jasmine Paolini 6–4, 6–3 on 22 October. The second-round result is confirmed by the WTA match report and Tennis.com’s scoreboard. The American, seeded No. 4, continues her run on the Chinese tournament’s hard courts.
Turning around the opening set
According to the WTA account, Paolini had the early advantage in the first set, leading 3–1 after winning a game on her opponent’s serve. Jovic then recovered and took the set 6–4. A straight-sets result therefore does not mean she led throughout the match.
The second set also featured a recovery by the Italian. Jovic was 4–1 ahead before Paolini reduced the gap to 4–3. The American then held her serve and broke her opponent to finish the match. The WTA records a total playing time of one hour and twenty-two minutes.
Into the last eight
The official draw puts the victory in context. Jovic received a first-round bye, so the meeting with Paolini was her opening singles match of the tournament. The Italian had already beaten Anhelina Kalinina 6–2, 7–5 to reach the second round.
Ningbo is a WTA 500 event played outdoors on hard courts. Its main singles draw contains 28 players. The official schedule places the quarterfinals on 23 October, the semifinals on 24 October and the final on 25 October.
Beating Paolini gives Jovic a place among the last eight players, without determining the outcome of her next match. Her next opponent must come from the meeting between Alexandra Eala and Diana Shnaider, who occupy the neighbouring section of the draw.