Eleven break points saved
Cristina Bucsa kept knocking. Twelve times overnight in Guadalajara she worked her way to a break point against Iva Jovic. Eleven times she got nothing back.
That was the semifinal. Jovic, seeded second, came through 6-4, 6-1 against the sixth-seeded Spaniard and reached the final of the Guadalajara Open for a second straight year. The 18-year-old from Los Angeles converted four of her own eight break chances, which tells you how the second set collapsed the way it did.
Guadalajara is where Jovic won her only WTA Tour title, twelve months ago. She arrives at Saturday’s final defending it, and at an age where most players are still measuring themselves against the tour rather than holding trophies on it.
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Stearns takes the long road
Peyton Stearns did it the other way. The 24-year-old from Cincinnati needed six set points to close the opening set against eighth-seeded Liudmila Samsonova, two of them with the Russian serving at 5-6, four more in the tiebreak. She finally took it 7-6 (7).
The second set was quicker. Stearns broke early for 2-1, then pulled clear for a 6-2 finish. Samsonova, who had knocked out top seed Marta Kostyuk earlier in the week, ran out of answers.
Stearns is chasing a third career title. The first came at Rabat in May 2024, the second at Austin in February 2026. Guadalajara would make it three in a little over two years, and her first on this surface at this altitude.
What Saturday settles
Two American players, both in the back half of a long season, both with something specific to protect. Jovic has a title to keep and a ranking that has climbed on the back of it. Stearns has a run of form she has not been able to sustain for a full season yet.
The break point numbers from Friday hint at the shape of it. Jovic held under pressure for two sets and barely blinked. Stearns needed six chances to convert one. Whichever version of each player shows up on Saturday will decide who leaves Mexico with the trophy.
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