Alex Eala Faces Iva Jovic Again at US Open Third Round

Alex Eala gets another shot at a familiar problem in New York.

Her name is Iva Jovic.

The US Open third round will stage their latest chapter, a meeting between close friends who keep running into each other when the stakes rise. This time, Eala walks in as world No. 18, riding two ruthless wins. Jovic arrives as world No. 14, at home on American soil, unbeaten against the Filipina this year.

The tension writes itself.

Eala has barely broken a sweat so far in New York. She dismantled Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine, 6-1, 6-4, then brushed aside American qualifier Mary Stoiana, 6-1, 6-2. Clean scorelines. Little drama. Just business.

Now comes the hard part.

Jovic, 18, has been just as efficient. She opened with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Fran Jones, then tightened her grip in the second round with a 7-5, 6-3 win against Magda Frech. No sets dropped. No sign of nerves. Just a teenager playing with the confidence of someone who knows she’s already solved this particular puzzle twice.

Those two previous meetings in 2024 still hang over this one.

At the HSBC Championships, Jovic ran away with a 6-2, 6-2 win, outplaying Eala in straight sets. At Roland Garros, in the French Open first round, the American again shut the door, 6-4, 6-2. Same storyline: Eala competitive in patches, Jovic clinical when it mattered.

That’s the code Eala wants to crack.

The twist is that this isn’t a cold rivalry. It’s layered with warmth. The two have shared not just tour courts but lighter moments as well, including the Stars of the Open fan event, where they teamed up with their fathers for a fun doubles run. They know each other’s games. They know each other’s families.

So there’s respect, and plenty of it.

“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, acknowledging the obstacle without backing down from it.

Jovic, for her part, sounded energized by the prospect of another showdown.

“Super excited, the atmosphere is going to be amazing,” she said of facing Eala at the US Open. “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 a sense that both players understand what this means beyond just a spot in the last 16. Two rising names, both still in their teens or early twenties, already trading blows in the later rounds of majors. If this is what their early years look like, the tour could be watching the early stages of a long-running rivalry.

For now, Eala keeps her focus narrow.

“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 promises. Just preparation and resolve.

The match is set for Saturday (Manila time), exact schedule still to be confirmed. One player will walk off court having extended a perfect head-to-head. The other will finally have her breakthrough against a friend who keeps standing in her way.

Third time lucky? Or third time ruthless? New York is about to decide.