American teen Iva Jovic was moved to tears while talking about her off-court friend and on-court opponent Alex Eala, whom she beat in a three-set thriller to enter the round of 16 at the US Open. Jovic outlasted the fellow young tennis sensation from the Philippines in an epic three-hour showdown on Saturday to book a meeting with fourth-seeded former champion Coco Gauff. The 14th-seed Jovic won five of the last six games for a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 triumph over 17th-seed Eala after three hours and three minutes.
When Jovic was asked about Eala’s gesture in her post-match news conference, the American was moved to tears and said it showed her friend’s character. And even in the locker room behind closed doors … so that just says a lot about her and her character. Yeah, she’s incredible.” Jovic, 18, and Eala, 21, are friends and sometimes doubles partners, knowing each other’s skills and style well.
That helped produce seven service breaks in the first 11 games. It’s everything to have another match here at the US Open,” Jovic said. That match will be against compatriot Gauff, the 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open champion.
Jovic broke four times to win the first set but was broken three times by left-hander Eala to drop the second. Eala admitted: “I had my chances. I’m happy with the match in general.
Of course there is disappointment in losing, but trying to see the positive side. It was a really good match. The level was really high.
I fought through the ups and downs … What I know for a fact is that I fought, so I’m happy with that.” A quarterfinalist at this year’s Australian Open, Jovic won her first WTA title last year in Guadalajara at age 17. She beat Eala at the French Open and Queen’s Club in London earlier this season in their prior meetings, but that was before Eala won her first WTA title at Washington. She was serving very good.
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