Making her much-anticipated Arthur Ashe primetime debut, Alexandra Eala had plenty to prove under the bright lights. After cruising through her first two rounds without dropping a set, fans were expecting another masterclass from the Filipino against Iva Jovic in the third round.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
But Jovic had other plans. The home favorite battled Eala for nearly three hours before finally ending the Filipino’s US Open run. Veteran commentator Patrick McEnroe even called it the best match at Flushing Meadows this year.
Despite McEnroe’s verdict on ESPN, Eala couldn’t hold back her tears as she left the court through the player tunnel. For her fans, though, there was little to complain about when it came to the World No. 18’s effort. In a match where there were seventeen service breaks between the two players, the momentum swung to and fro across the three sets.
The initial burst came from Jovic, who broke Eala twice to take a 4-1 lead in the first set. However, the Filipino player rallied, breaking Jovic’s serve twice to make it 4-4, and another set of breaks made it 5-5. However, the American got the final break of the set and then held on for a 7-5 win.
The second set remained on serve for the first three games, with Eala having a 2-1 lead. However, what followed was a masterclass in returning from both players, with five consecutive service breaks. Eala had the advantage at 5-3 and broke the streak of breaks by holding on in the ninth game to win the set at 6-3.
The Filipino player was in full flow in the third set, getting an early break to go 2-0 up. However, Jovic responded by tying it at 2-2, only for Eala to get another break to go 4-2 up. The World No. 18 was playing fearless tennis, going for her shots, often hitting her groundstrokes right on the edge of the baseline. The match looked at a pivotal moment for Eala when she had break points to go 5-2 up, but for once, she could not get a break.
That proved to be the turning point, as Jovic got back on serve at 5-4, and even had a match point on Eala’s serve, which she missed with a backhand. However, Eala’s resistance came to an end in the twelfth game, with Jovic getting the final break of the match and closing out the win.
However, commentators were not shy in giving Eala her due credit, even if the Filipino player kept struggling with her serve once more.
Commentators All Praise for Alexandra Eala Even if Filipino Faces Same Serving Issues
Despite Alexandra Eala’s loss to Iva Jovic, the ESPN duo of Patrick McEnroe and Mary Joe Fernandez came away hugely impressed by the World No. 18’s performance. While McEnroe already dubbed the match the best one at the US Open this year, the American also added, “She can leave with her head held high”, praising Eala’s performance.
Mary Joe Fernandez was just as generous with her praise for the Filipino, declaring, “She’s the real deal.” And Fernandez may have a point. Eala has continued to make steady strides in her game, showing the kind of growth and resilience that often separates a promising player from a future champion.
Given that Eala picked up her first-ever Grand Slam win at the US Open just a year ago against Clara Tauson in the first round, the progress since then has been remarkable. In that short span, she has gone from making her mark at Flushing Meadows to pushing established Grand Slam champions onto the outer courts while earning spots on the tournament’s biggest stages herself.
The main aspect of Eala’s development in recent times has been her ability to get around her weak serve and improve her baseline game. That effort paid off, as the Filipino player secured victories against big servers like Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina, with the World No.18’s variety of shots troubling the heavy topspin game of players like Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon.
In her US Open clash, even though she broke Jovic’s serve eight times, Eala had her own serve broken nine times. Even though she hit one 112mph serve in the match, Eala’s average first serve speed was 86 mph, which was similar to Jovic’s average first serve speed. Despite the Filipino player attempting to give some shape and angle to her lefty serve, Jovic was able to read them and meet with her powerful backhands.
The loss also means that Eala missed out on the opportunity to play Coco Gauff in the fourth round, which was one of the fixtures many fans had penciled in once the draw came out.