Alex Eala, Iva Jovic put friendship on pause for US Open showdown

GOOD FRIENDS. The Philippines' Alex Eala and the USA's Iva Jovic in action in the 2026 US Open.

Amber Searls/Reuters and Geoff Burke/Reuters

Gal pals Alex Eala and Iva Jovic reach the third round of the US Open for the first time in their careers, with the Filipina hoping victory will finally go her way after losing to the American in their first two encounters

AT A GLANCE

• Alex Eala faces Iva Jovic in the third round of the US Open, hoping to overcome previous losses to her friend.
• Both players have won their first two matches without dropping a set, making this clash highly anticipated.
• Eala has improved significantly, reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon and winning her first WTA Tour title, leading to a career-high ranking.

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MANILA, Philippines – Friendship takes a back seat for now as Alex Eala battles gal pal Iva Jovic in the third round of the US Open.

And Eala hopes victory will finally go her way this time after she lost to the 18-year-old American in their first two WTA Tour encounters.

Jovic has gotten the better of Eala, beating the 21-year-old Filipina in straight sets in the first round of the French Open in May, then again in the second round of the Queen’s Club Championship in June. 

“She’s an amazing player — young, very talented, and very intelligent. Of course, she’s a high-rank player and very accomplished. I’ve encountered my fair share of challenges against her this year,” said Eala of Jovic.

The round of 32 clash — tentatively set on Saturday, September 5, at 11 pm, Manila time — looms as the toughest test yet for both Eala and Jovic in the last Grand Slam of the year, with each winning their first two matches without dropping a set.

Seeded 17th, Eala opened her campaign with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over USA’s Mary Stoiana before she made short work of Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova, 6-1, 6-4.

Meanwhile, 14th seed Jovic beat Poland’s Magdalena Frech, 7-5, 6-3, and then Great Britain’s Francesca Jones, 6-4, 6-4, to arrange another date with Eala. 

Those victories sent the two friends into the third round of the US Open for the first time in their careers, setting up a highly anticipated duel expected to draw a huge crowd, with Eala boasting a strong following and Jovic playing at home.

“I’m super excited. The atmosphere is going to be amazing. She’s been playing some great tennis so it’s nice to play each other in the third round, deeper into the Slam,” said Jovic. “Hopefully we can all keep going on runs like this.” 

Eala has made great strides since she last tangled with Jovic. 

The Filipina enjoyed her finest Grand Slam run by reaching the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships in July, won her first WTA Tour title in the Washington Open in August, and climbed to a new career-high No. 18 ranking. 

“I do feel like a more well-rounded player now and more mature, I guess” Eala said. “With time comes maturity. And more intelligent, I think I just have more knowledge with the experience in terms of tennis and competing at a very high level.” – Rappler.com