Eala drops three-hour classic to Jovic, wraps up US Open stint

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

It was one of those “so close, yet so far” types of matches for the 21-year-old Filipina ace.

In a three-hour thriller, Alex Eala failed to sustain her momentum and fell to good friend Iva Jovic, 5-7, 6-3, 5-7, in the third round of the US Open on Sept. 6, 2026, at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

The epic baseline duel featured 17 service breaks, 214 total points and seven aces between the two best friends.

However, the 18-year-old American got the better of her friend from the Philippines. Afterward, Eala crossed to Jovic’s side of the court to hug her and show her appreciation in one of the most heartwarming displays of sportsmanship at this year’s US Open.

The slugfest began at high intensity, with both players targeting each other’s service games in an early exchange of breaks.

Deadlocked at 5-all, Jovic capitalized on Eala’s successive unforced errors to claim the final break of the first set, then held serve to secure a grueling, momentum-boosting 1-0 lead.

With her back against the wall, Eala made a much-needed push in the second set by adding depth to her groundstrokes and targeting Jovic’s no-man’s-land for extra pressure.

As a result, Jovic failed to reposition several times and was trapped at the baseline by Eala’s crucial adjustment on returns.

Eala was in the zone in the final four games of the second set, breaking Jovic at a critical juncture while protecting her service games to level the third-round match at one set apiece.

The first half of the deciding set belonged to Eala, who broke Jovic in her first service game and then held serve to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

Jovic initially recovered and gave Eala a dose of her own medicine to tie the set at 2-all, but the resilient Filipina ramped up her baseline aggression to increase her lead to two games at 4-2.

Just when Eala appeared ready to hold off Jovic, the American showed her mental toughness by climbing out of a massive hole with a demoralizing three-game run.

Perhaps the most underrated adjustment Jovic made to spark the comeback was on her returns of Eala’s serves.

Instead of taking huge swings to counter Eala’s topspin, Jovic settled for short, compact flicks, especially on the backhand, that changed the complexion of the nip-and-tuck affair.

By staying firm with her flick returns, Jovic prevented Eala from relying on her slow, tricky serves and found the perfect counter, even scoring two return winners with the difficult groundstroke.

A little drama spiced up the third set after Jovic reached match point at 40-30 while leading 5-4. Needing only one point to seal the win, she committed an error on her return, sending the game to deuce and extending the match.

Eala denied Jovic an early celebration with clutch serving to tie the set at 5-all, but that proved to be the Filipina’s final positive moment.

In an anticlimactic end to the slugfest, Eala suddenly went flat and committed a series of unforced errors, including a point-blank miss at the net when Jovic reached her second match point in the 12th game.

After three hours of intense tennis, Jovic wrapped up the win with 112 total points, including four aces, nine service breaks and 56 return points.

Eala capped her US Open campaign with 102 total points, including three aces, eight service breaks and 49 return points.

“That felt like a marathon and I felt like I lost my sanity five times over to win that match,” Jovic said after the win.

“It’s really worth it for this feeling. This one really meant a lot to me. I just tried to take my time in those moments, feel the energy, feel the crowd, even though they weren’t always rooting for me, I love you guys.”