Iva Jovic, Lilli Tagger and more: Meet the rising stars in women's tennis

As teenagers Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko have cemented themselves in the world's top 10 in women's tennis, and 20-year-old Alexandra Eala has become a global sensation, there's a cadre of rising stars just behind them that are looking to make their mark too.

That crop is led by 18-year-old American Iva Jovic, a Southern California native who has vaulted from outside of the world's top 140 at this time last year to a career-high No. 16 this week (20 April).

Jovic claimed her first WTA title in Guadalajara last September, and had her deepest run yet at a major in January, when she made the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, bowing out to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

There are 14 women 21 years or younger in the world's top 100 as of this week, and they represent a new generation of tennis stars who are not only looking to make it big in the future - but also in the present too.

The youngest among them is Austria's Lilli Tagger, the 18-year-old (she's 71 days younger than Jovic) who made a stirring run to the quarter-finals of Linz - her home event - earlier this month to leap into the top 100 for the first time (No. 97).

It was this time last year that Tagger had made a different kind of leap: She claimed the French Open junior title, becoming the first Austrian girl to do so.

With the French Open itself just around the corner next month, we dive deeper Tagger's story - and explore who are the other young female stars on the rise - below.

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Iva Jovic (USA), 18

A tremendous ball-striker already known for her work ethic, Jovic comes from a Serbian family - and has already picked the brain of the great champion Novak Djokjovic, who she's called a hero.

“He’s given me some great tips. I can tell that he has watched my matches, which is surreal,” Jovic said on the Tennis Channel earlier this month.

"Me and my coach have a joke, where he says, ‘If you don’t want to listen to me, listen to Novak at least!’, because they’re saying the same thing but it’s a little different when it comes from Novak.”

Jovic is also a figure skating fan: "I loved watching Alysa Liu at the Olympics," she said recently at the Charleston Open. "That was really inspiring. I love Eileen Gu, as well."

Lilli Tagger (AUT), 18

While Dominic Thiem recently retired, there hasn't been a top-level Austrian on the women's side since Barbara Schett reached world No. 7, making the 1999 US Open quarter-finals.

Tagger could change all of that, with a unique one-handed backhand and another former legend - 2010 French Open champ Francesca Schiavone - on her side, having trained at Schiavone's academy and worked with her as a coach.

There's one big difference between Tagger and Schiavone: The Australian stands 185cm (6ft 1in), her height and power two characteristics that could prove dangerous.

Sara Bejlek (CZE), 20

"She has a bright future in front of her." Those were the words of two-time Grand Slam singles champion Barbora Krejcikova back in 2022 about a 16-year-old Sara Bejlek, who was already turning heads as a top junior playing up into the senior ranks.

This season she has already reached a career-high - world No. 34 earlier this month - thanks in part to her first WTA singles title, at Abu Dhabi in February. Bejlek had two top-20 wins herself that week, including over Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final.

Bejlek is currently one of seven Czech women in the top 50, while her childhood peers Tereza Valentova, 19, and Nikola Bartunkova, 20, are ranked 50th and 96th, respectively.

It threatens to be another generation of great Czech women's stars, led in part by Linda Noskova, who has been on the WTA scene for several years now but is still just 21 and ranked world number 14.

Maya Joint (AUS), 20

Another Australian, Joint celebrated her 20th birthday last week (16 April) and had plenty to be thankful to herself for, including surprise WTA titles last year in Eastbourne and Rabat, which marked a huge 2025 season for her.

A Michigan native who now plays for Australia, Joint went from world No. 116 to begin 2025 to career-high of 28th this past February, scoring three top-20 wins during the season.

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