Bottles fell from the stands as the wind blew over the seats above Court 12. Unfortunately, the breeze was deceptive.
When Iva Jovic, 16, the youngest player in the women’s singles draw, arrived for this second-round match, temperatures were hovering around 32 degrees Celsius. It was stifling. The benches were burning fans’ skin and the spectators’ shirts were soaked with sweat. Imagine playing in those temperatures.
On Monday night, in her Grand Slam debut, the American overcame a plague of insects (already world number 42 Magda Linette) to win $140,000 and announce herself at these championships.
On Wednesday she faced 29th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and the scorching heat. The prize this time? $215,000 and a meeting with world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.
In the end, it all proved to be too much. But only after Jovic overcame a serious medical problem and saved six match points. Only after three brutal, undulating hours of action. Only after a gigantic display of courage from the world number 389.
American teenager Iva Jovic lost a three-set thriller to 29th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova
Alexandrova (R) eventually triumphed 4-6 6-4 7-5 against the world number 389, who is just 16 years old.
When Jovic finally gave up, the score was 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in Alexandrova’s favour. However, in reality, it was the elements that got the better of the teenager.
For most of the afternoon, she was neck and neck with the Russian, winning the match against Alexandrova and also taking the first set.
But then the elements intervened. Midway through the second set, with the world number 389 leading a set but down a break, doctors rushed to the court. The 16-year-old had begun to falter.
They took Jovic’s blood pressure and pulse. They stood nearby as the teenager tried everything she could to cool down: two wet towels, energy drinks, water in her mouth and on her head, energy gels and blowing cold air into her face.
This was all rather worrying to see. No wonder Jovic’s older sister looked shaken as she stood nearby, shouting words of encouragement in Serbian.
Jovic needed medical attention as he threatened to wither away in Wednesday’s brutal heat.
The teenager recovered and saved six match points before finally succumbing on Court 12.
Fortunately, Jovic recovered enough to continue and make a couple of brave holds. But suddenly, he was in survival mode.
Between points, the teenager took refuge in the shadow at the back of the court. Even these desperate measures could not prevent Alexandrova from equalising the match. It seemed that fate had been decided.
But the Russian was not happy, and continued to bark at her team even after winning the second set. And Jovic had not given up. He continued to show every ounce of determination.
The temperature refused to drop below 90 degrees, even as the shadows began to lengthen. But one A 10-minute break gave the American a chance to regroup.
Jovic, cheered on by the home crowd, earned six break points at the start of the third set. Unfortunately, she failed to convert any of them. That looked fatal when the Russian broke serve to go 4-3 up and then served for the match at 5-3. Jovic returned her not once, but twice.
Unfortunately, Alexandrova was broken for the third time in a row. The teenager had enough energy to save three more match points before she finally ran out of steam.
