Iva Jovic won the Guadalajara title for the second year in a row after beating Peyton Stearns 6–4, 6–2 on September 19, 2026. The 18-year-old American became the first two-time champion of the Guadalajara Open.
The final lasted one hour and 26 minutes. Jovic, the second seed, won in straight sets to complete a week in which she did not drop a set.
For Stearns, the defeat ended a strong run that included a quarterfinal win over Sloane Stephens. For Jovic, it added another trophy at the event where she had won her first tour title a year earlier.
Iva Jovic’s Guadalajara Final: Key Facts
| Detail | Result |
|---|---|
| Winner | Iva Jovic |
| Runner-up | Peyton Stearns |
| Score | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Date | September 19, 2026 |
| Match time | 1 hour, 26 minutes |
| Event level | WTA 500 |
| Surface | Outdoor hard court |
The official WTA tournament page identifies Guadalajara as a WTA 500 event in Zapopan, Mexico. That is the tour category of the tournament, rather than the number of players in the draw.
A Late Break Settles the Opening Set
Both players held serve through the first eight games. Then Jovic broke in the ninth game to move 5–4 ahead and served out the set.
A break happens when a player wins a game while her opponent is serving. Here, that single break gave Jovic the two-game gap she needed to take the opening set 6–4.
Stearns had reached the final without losing a set. However, Jovic ended that run and began the second set with another break.
Jovic keeps the pressure on
After holding serve, Jovic led 2–0. The players then held their next service games before she broke again for a 5–2 lead.
She served out the match in the next game. The tournament organiser’s final report confirms that Jovic broke three times and faced no break points.
A break point is a point that could give the receiver the game. Facing none means Stearns never reached that position on Jovic’s serve during the final.
How Peyton Stearns Reached the Final
Stearns beat Emiliana Arango and Diane Parry before facing Stephens in the quarterfinals. She won that match 7–6(6), 6–4, then defeated Liudmila Samsonova 7–6(7), 6–2 in the semifinals.
Tennis Majors’ final report details that path. It also reports that Jovic won 61 of the 108 points played in the final.
For the earlier stage of the event, read our report on Stephens reaching the Guadalajara quarterfinals. Her win over Janice Tjen came before the meeting with Stearns.
Why the Guadalajara Title Matters for Jovic
Jovic first won this event in 2025, beating Arango in the final. Returning in 2026 and keeping the trophy made her the tournament’s first repeat champion.
The result also shows the value of protecting serve. Jovic needed three breaks across the two sets because she gave no service games back.
Winning without dropping a set means she took every set she played during the tournament. It does not mean every game or point was easy, but it does show that no opponent forced a deciding set.
Readers who want to understand how tournament results affect a player’s position can use our guide to WTA ranking points. For this final, the clearest facts are the score, the clean service record and a second Guadalajara trophy for Jovic.
