It was a fierce battle on court for the two close friends.
Following their friendly match at the Stars of the Open exhibition game in late August, the paths of tennis stars Alex Eala and Iva Jovic crossed once again. This time around, they faced each other in the third round of the actual US Open.
Alex looked to redeem herself after losing in their previous plays, including the French Open and Queen’s Club Championships, to continue her already historic streak by pushing it into the next rounds of the tournament.
In the first set of the match that happened at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the intensity was already present as the two rising netters looked to outlast one another. Jovic would able to take the win in the first set, but Eala was able to push the game into a deciding set after taking a win in the second set as her friend sought medical aid.
However, Iva would soon be back on track to give Alex another thrilling round and ended the match by sending the Filipina player off the major tournament.
The final scoreline was 5-7, 6-3, 5-7.
Meanwhile, despite her loss, Eala reflected on the support she received from Filipino fans who came all the way to New York to watch and cheer for her during matches.
“It’s indescribable to sum up the support and how it makes me feel,” she told. “It’s a privilege to experience this in a lifetime.”
Midway through her statement, Alex got visible emotional and held back her tears.
“Playing on Arthur Ashe and feeling the support and being in those environments, learning these lessons, fighting, and doing what I love—I am really happy, lucky to have these opportunities and have these people support me,” she added.
Meanwhile, Alex is now expected to shift her attention back to Asia as she sets her sights on the Singapore Tennis Open later this month and a participation in the Asian Games 2026.
Meanwhile, according to the Philippine Tennis Association (PhilTA), they have applied for the exemption of Eala from the China Open, which is one the required tourneys of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in its calendar. This is to avoid her getting fines or getting a zero-pointer for her non-participation.
Set to happen in Nagoya and Aichi, Japan, this edition will mark Alex’s return to the Asiad after last participating in the Hangzhou Games in 2023, where she bagged two bronze medals for her participation in women’s singles and mixed doubles events.
