Court 15 sits in a quiet corner of Flushing Meadows, hidden on one side by a row of hedges and trees, dwarfed on the other by the towering stands of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
On Monday night, however, the spotlight illuminated this slice of Queens, where a remarkable US Open story was unfolding. Hundreds of fans were drawn here – and so were the flies.
Bugs swarmed all around as Iva Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s singles draw, made her Grand Slam debut. Supporters, ball boys and players were peppered with unwanted guests throughout this first-round match.
Hardly ideal for the American teenager, who is still just 16 and ranked No 389 in the world. Especially when this marked her first main-draw match at WTA level, too.
No matter. The California native – born to Serbian immigrant parents – batted away the flies and then overcame a few other mild inconveniences. Namely: age, experience, pedigree, and a pocket of Polish fans determined to dash her dream.
Iva Jovic, 16, stunned world No 42 Magda Linette to win on her Grand Slam debut at US Open
By reaching the second round here the 16-year-old wildcard will pocket at least $140,000
They failed and so did world No 42 Magda Linette, a former Grand Slam semifinalist, who was beaten 6-4 6-3 by a 16-year-old who grew up playing tennis on the roof of her apartment complex.
Jovic had made $24,224 in prize money before earning a wildcard into this tournament. Not bad for a high school student. By reaching the second round here, however, she will pocket at least $140,000.
‘We’re working on that,’ Jovic said when asked how she might spend it. ‘I want to save as much as I can.’
Coco Gauff was only 15 when, in 2019, she stunned Venus Williams at Williams and announced herself as a star of future.
Gauff’s Grand Slam debut came on Court No 1. On Monday, five years later, she walked out on Arthur Ashe as the defending US Open champion.
Linette, a former Grand Slam semifinalist, who was beaten 6-4 6-3 by the 16-year-old
A few hours later, Jovic began life in the majors in slightly less glamorous surrounds. By the time she headed home on Monday night, however, the teen had cemented herself as one of the early stars of this tournament.
Linette’s Grand Slam career began nearly a decade ago and reached its peak at last year’s Australian Open, when she reached the last four.
Her hopes of going any further here ended on night one. Unfortunately for the 32-year-old, she had no answer for Jovic’s gritty defense.
The teenager, who idolizes Novak Djokovic, had played only nine professional tournaments before this.
Jovic is No 5 in the world junior rankings and won the junior doubles at Wimbledon this year
Jovic earned a wildcard into the main draw thanks to victory in the USTA’s Under-18 National Championships. She is ranked No 5 in the world among juniors and is the reigning junior doubles champion at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open.
This time last year, the 16-year-old – who is enrolled in an online school – lost in the first round of the US Open junior singles.
Twelve months on, she is in the second round of the US Open proper. Jovic sealed victory shortly before Djokovic headed out for his opening match. They are yet to meet properly.
‘I do have a selfie,’ she revealed. ‘It doesn’t look great but it’s there.’ Now Jovic is a star in her own right.
