Jovic, Stearns set all-American final in Guadalajara

3m read 19 Sep 2026 2h ago

An American champion is guaranteed in Guadalajara for the second year in a row as No. 2 seed Iva Jovic will bid to win the WTA 500 again -- this time against compatriot Peyton Stearns.

The two sealed the second all-American final on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz this year by winning straight-set semifinals on Friday against Cristina Bucsa and Liudmila Samsonova, respectively. No .2 seed Jovic never trailed against No. 6 seed Bucsa on her way to winning 6-4, 6-1, while the unseeded Stearns came from a double-break down in the first set to win her match against the No. 8 seed 7-6(7), 6-2.

Jovic and Stearns will face-off for the first time with a WTA 500 title at stake, with Stearns bidding to win her second title of 2026 after taking the ATX Open in February. Something will have to give in the final, as neither woman has lost a set yet at the event.

Jovic serves 'out of her mind' to return to championship match

Jovic was particularly impressive at the service line -- with on-court interviewer emcee Andrew Krasny declaring she served "out of her mind" to top Bucsa in 1 hour and 33 minutes.

The teenager, who last year became the youngest American to win a tour-level title since Coco Gauff in 2021, and the youngest WTA 500 winner since Martina Hingis in 1998, saved 11 of 12 break points in victory -- including all six in the second set -- to reach her second final of the season. The World No. 16 won three tough games, saving five break points in the process, to start the match, and bounced back with aplomb to break Bucsa's serve after losing her own to love when ahead 5-3.

"There were so many ups and downs, but I was able to just hold firm on my serve and get through in straights," Jovic said afterwards. "[This week as defending champion], there have been a lot of different things to deal with, to adjust to, and I've just been having a positive mindset through it all."

After slow start, Stearns reaches biggest final of career

While Jovic raced out of the gates against Bucsa, Stearns took a while to get going in her own first-ever meeting against Samsonova. The No. 8 seed, who topped No. 1 seed Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals, had leads of 3-0 and 4-2 in the first set before Stearns credited a mental reset for bringing her back into the match.

"I think I started a little tense on my heels and she came out swinging -- she did a great job with that," Stearns said afterwards. "Once I kind of settled and relaxed a little bit, I ... felt like I did a better job."

After failing to convert two set points in the 12th game, Stearns eventually wrapped things up on her sixth overall opportunity of the set in the tiebreak. Her momentum continued into the second set, where half the games went to deuce -- and Stearns crucially held from 0-30 in the fourth game, too.