Eala Faces Jovic in Third Round, 0-2 in Head-to-Head
Alex Eala walks into Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, September 5 at 7 p.m. ET ranked 18th in the world, seeded 17th at the 2026 US Open, and 0-2 against the player across the net. She faces Iva Jovic in the third round, opening the night session at Ashe. For viewers in the Philippines, that is 7 a.m. on Sunday, September 6.
Jovic is 18 years old, ranked 14th globally, and she has beaten Eala twice this year. First at the French Open in May, 6-4, 6-2. Then again at the Queen’s Club Championships in June, 6-2, 6-2. The head-to-head sits at 2-0 in Jovic’s favor, and Eala has not won a single set against her.
Saturday is the first time they meet on hard court.
The Road to Round Three
Both players arrived here without dropping a set. Eala opened with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Mary Stoiana, then followed with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Oleksandra Oliynykova. Jovic had a harder path. She survived Magdalena Frech, 7-5, 6-3, in the first round, then dispatched British qualifier Francesca Jones, 6-4, 6-4.
For Eala, this is her best start to any Grand Slam. For Jovic, it is her third US Open appearance but her first time reaching the third round.
Saturday night is also the first time either of them steps onto Arthur Ashe Stadium for a match that counts. The center court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center seats 23,771. It is the largest tennis stadium in the world.
How Eala Got Here
Eighteen months ago, Eala was ranked No. 140. She broke into the WTA top 100 after a run at the 2025 Miami Open, where she entered as a wild card and beat then-No. 5 Madison Keys and then-No. 2 Iga Swiatek back to back. By the 2026 Washington Open, she had a first WTA Tour title on her resume, defeating Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina, and Naomi Osaka before taking out top seed Jessica Pegula in the final.
At Wimbledon this year, she reached the fourth round, her best Grand Slam result to date, beating Swiatek again in the third round.
The No. 17 seeding at this US Open is the highest any Filipino tennis player has held at a major.
Close Off the Court, 0-2 On It
They were doubles partners at the ASB Classic in Auckland. They played an exhibition match together at US Open Fan Week just days before the main draw began, drawing a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. Jovic jokingly said she felt “adopted” by Eala’s Filipino fanbase.
Saturday night, they compete for real.
“She’s an amazing player, young, very talented and very intelligent. Of course, she’s a high-rank player and very accomplished. I’ve encountered my fair share of challenges against her this year,” Eala said of Jovic.
Jovic, when asked about the matchup: “Yeah, I’m super excited. The atmosphere is gonna be amazing, and she’s been playing some great tennis.”
Eala has yet to win a set against her.
