Alex Eala vs Iva Jovic: High-Stakes Friendship Derby in US Open
The smiles will stay in the warm-up. After that, it’s business.
Alex Eala’s US Open run now runs straight into a familiar roadblock: close friend, regular rival, and current nemesis Iva Jovic.
The 21-year-old Filipina, ranked No. 18 in the world, has stormed into the third round in New York with back-to-back straight-sets wins. She brushed aside Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine, 6-1, 6-4, then dismantled American qualifier Mary Stoiana, 6-1, 6-2, to set up a showdown that feels part reunion, part reckoning.
Across the net will be Jovic, the 18-year-old American world No. 14, who has had Eala’s number all year.
A rivalry with a sharp edge
They like each other. They know each other. They’ve even shared the stage in the US Open’s fan event “Stars of the Open,” playing a light-hearted doubles match with their fathers joining in the fun.
But the numbers between the lines are harsh.
Twice this season, Eala tried to solve the Jovic puzzle and twice she walked away beaten in straight sets. At the HSBC Championships, Jovic dominated, 6-2, 6-2. At Roland Garros, in the pressure of a Grand Slam first round, the American again shut the door, 6-4, 6-2.
Now they meet again, deeper into a major, on Jovic’s home soil.
In New York, Jovic has been just as efficient. She opened with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Fran Jones, then tightened her grip in the second round against Magda Frech, winning 7-5, 6-3 to book her place opposite Eala.
“Super excited, the atmosphere is going to be amazing,” Jovic said of facing her friend in the third round. “It’s super nice to be playing each other in the third round, deeper in the slams, so hopefully we keep going at runs like these.”
There’s respect on both sides, and Eala made that clear.
“Iva, she’s an amazing player, young, very talented, and very intelligent. She’s higher ranked and very accomplished, and I’ve encountered my fair share of challenges against her this year,” Eala said.
Challenges is a polite word. The head-to-head in 2024 has been one-way traffic.
Eala chasing her breakthrough
Still, there’s a different feel to this one.
Eala arrives in New York playing clean, confident tennis. The scorelines against Oliynykova and Stoiana tell their own story: she’s dictating, not chasing, and she’s not hanging around on court longer than she needs to.
Her mindset, though, stays stripped down and pragmatic.
“It’s not under my control who I play. I just do my best and try to do everything I can to win,” she said.
No talk of revenge. No big declarations. Just a quiet insistence that the preparation is there, whoever stands on the opposite baseline.
That will be tested now more than at any point this fortnight. Jovic is not just higher ranked; she is also playing in front of a home crowd, on courts where she feels at ease and energized. The previous two wins this year give her a psychological edge, and she knows it.
For Eala, this third meeting carries a different weight. Lose again and the narrative hardens: Jovic as the unsolved riddle of her season. Win, and she doesn’t just reach the second week of a Slam. She flips the script on a rivalry that has been running against her all year.
The third round clash is set for Saturday (Manila time), exact schedule still to be confirmed.
Two friends, one familiar storyline. Only one of them walks away having changed it.
