Qualifier Talia Gibson has beaten Iva Jovic in straight sets to reach the round of 16 at both Sunshine Swing WTA 1000 events.
Talia Gibson’s dream Sunshine Swing has extended to a maiden Miami Open fourth round following a straight-sets win over world No.17 Iva Jovic on Monday.
A day after eliminating Naomi Osaka, the 21-year-old qualifier outclassed the 18-year-old to reach the round of 16.
It was her fifth victory over a top-20 player in just three weeks, following up her brilliant run to the quarterfinals at Indian Wells.
> READ: Gibson upsets Osaka to advance to Miami third round
There was no sign of the Perth prospect letting up either as she produced an immaculate display of serving, not getting broken once, nor giving up a break point opportunity as she dispatched the 18-year-old American in just 72 minutes.
Gibson became just the fifth Australian to reach the round of 16 of both WTA 1000 events at the Sunshine Swing and the first since Daria Saville in 2022.
“Going into the match, I knew it was going to be a tough one,” she said. “She’s an amazing player, amazing competitor so I just did my best to try and focus on myself and trust my game.
“I’ve been putting a lot of work into trying to get wins like these and to be able to see it happen is really amazing.”
Gibson came through qualifying in California, winning six matches in total, and has now won five consecutive matches in Miami. She is yet to drop a set in Miami and has not been broken in her past three matches.
Before Indian Wells, the Australian was ranked world No.112. Having now jumped to No.68, she is ranked world No.56 in the live rankings, behind only Maya Joint among Australian women.
> MORE: Gibson makes top-100 debut
“It’s really cool [that I’ve made that jump]. I’m super proud of what I’ve been able to achieve over the last couple of weeks,” she said.
“Once I’m finished here, I will definitely take a lot of time to do some reflecting and just soak it all in. I’m really looking forward to the next couple of months and what that’s going to bring for me.”
The challenge only become harder when she faces Australian Open champion and world No.2 Elena Rybakina next. Rybakina defeated Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-3 6-4.
“I think it’s very exciting. It’s not every day you get to play such a champion,” Gibson said.
“She’s obviously been playing extremely well, won the Australian Open. Now to be coming up against her, I think it’s a great opportunity and for sure, we’ll be learning a lot from the match, no matter what happens.”
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