Ružić eliminated in the first round: American Jović was better

Croatian tennis player Antonia Ružić's campaign at the WTA 500 tournament in London has ended after a first-round defeat. Ružić, ranked 58th in the WTA, was beaten by the emerging 18-year-old American Iva Jović, who secured a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

The match began with Ružić breaking Jović's serve, but play was soon interrupted by rain after only seven minutes. Upon returning to the court, Jović quickly regained control, breaking Ružić's serve twice in the first set to take it 6-3. Ružić struggled on her own serve throughout the set, failing to win a single service game.

The second set remained tight, with a single break of serve proving decisive. Jović achieved this break in the fifth game and maintained her advantage, denying Ružić a chance to come back. Jović, the sixth seed, will now face either China's Zhang Shuai or Alexandra Eale of the Philippines in the next round.

Meanwhile, fellow Croatian Donna Vekić (WTA - 76) also secured a spot in the main draw. Despite losing in the final qualifying round, Vekić advanced as a lucky loser, replacing the injured Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk. Vekić is set to play against British wildcard Mika Stojsavljević in her first-round match.