Eala aims to solve Jovic puzzle for US Open Round-of-16 ticket
MANILA, Philippines -- The stakes – and the stage – just got bigger for Alex Eala at the Big Apple.
For the first time in her career, Eala will play an official match at the world’s biggest tennis venue, with a Round-of-16 ticket in the US Open up for grabs against no less than her good friend Iva Jovic Sunday at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
A bigger crowd, brighter lights and more pressure await Eala in Round 3 tentatively at 7 a.m. (Manila time) after putting on a show in her first two matches at the 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium, the second biggest at the gargantuan USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Last week, Eala had her moment at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, with 23,771 seats, in the Stars of the Open exhibition match against Jovic as part of the US Open Fan Week, which featured the world’s rising stars and legends led by 20-time Slam king Roger Federer of Switzerland.
She lost the friendly battle, 6-3, which also featured a few games with their dads under the electric atmosphere that served as an extra fuel in Eala’s good start so far, surpassing her second-round finish last year when she was still No. 75 in a US Open main draw debut.
And they meet again, this time in an official match already, with Eala – who arrived in NYC with her highest WTA ranking (No. 18) and Grand Slam seeding ever (No. 17) – eyeing to retain a laser-like focus regardless of the venue against the world No. 14 Jovic.
“My job is to be prepared for whatever court they put me in and whoever they put me or whoever I'm against,” said Eala, responding to criticisms on the US Open’ treatment of her with larger courts than former Grand Slam champions and higher-ranked players.
Eala, only 21 years of age but considered as one of the world’s poster girls with a massive following in every city she’s in – was put by the US Open organizers at the Louis Armstrong Stadiums in the first two rounds.
Buoyed by the Filipino fans who filled up the venue to the rafters, Eala delivered by sweeping No. 122 Mary Stoiana of the United States, 6-1, 6-2, and No. 46 Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine, 6-1, 6-4.
She needed only 78 and 64 minutes, respectively, to score both wins to prove that she’s more than just “hype”.
But doing it against Jovic will be an enormous mountain to scale, especially with a 0-2 head-to-head record. Jovic also had an easier time in the first two rounds against WTA No. 41 Magdalena Frech of Poland, 7-5, 6-3, and No. 104 Francesca Jones of Great Britain, 6-4, 6-4.
Eala has not won a set against Jovic in two losses so far, stumbling in the French Open first round, 6-4, 6-2, and the Queen’s Club Championships Round of 16, 6-2, 6-2. Eala and Russian partner Mirra Andreeva, however, got a win against Jovic and Shannon Lam in the doubles of the 2022 US Open, where Eala reigned as the singles champion.
And she’s out to finally solve the Jovic puzzle.
“Sisterhood and just having friends on tour has helped me so much. Off the court and on the court, I really admire them for what they've been through and what they go through. With Iva, she's an amazing player. She’s young, very talented and very intelligent. Of course, she's a high-ranked player and very accomplished,” said Eala.
“And I've encountered my fair share of challenges against her this year. All l I can do is give my best and try to do everything that I can to win.”
The Pinay power can expect Jovic as well to come out swinging and set aside their affinity on court once more.
“I’m super excited (to play against Alex). The atmosphere is gonna be amazing and she’s been playing some great tennis,” said the 18-year-old American, who had also teamed-up with Eala in the doubles of the Indian Wells in California and the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand where they made it to the Final Four.
“So it’s nice to be playing each other in the third round, deeper into the Slam, so hopefully we can all keep going on runs like this.”
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