Alex Eala lost her third-round match in the US Open tennis on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, PHL time.
Sad, but she went down fighting, that’s for sure.
She even came tantalizingly close to winning it.
This time, the breaks had been unkind.
Both warriors battled like it was the end of the world, each one never giving up an inch every step of the way.
When it was finally over, when everything was ended except the so-called shouting from the sell-out crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium — the world’s largest tennis edifice with a 23,000-plus capacity — Iva Jovic lay deliriously at the hard court.
The 5-foot-8 fireball from California, whose parents are immigrants from Serbia (father) and Croatia (mother), had flung herself to the ground in utter exhaustion — and sheer glee — earning lusty cheers for her grit and staying power amid Eala’s equally ferocious stand.
Jovic, only 18 but already so mature with not only her demeanor but with her shot selection as well, won in an epic manner, assembling a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 victory carved out in nearly three-and-a-half hours of lung-tearing action.
“It was a marathon, indeed,” said Jovic, who took a pain-killer during a break. “I took the energy from the crowd even though they were not cheering for me.”
Twice she was dumped into 2-0 and 4-2 holes in the third and final set as Eala, 21, went for the kill.
But each time, she climbed out of it triumphantly.
First, by holding serve in the third game and then following it up with a service break to equalize at 2-2.
When Eala made it 4-2 again, Jovic saved two break points, sparking a three-game winning run to grab a crucial 5-4 lead.
It was Eala’s turn to shine, though, bucking a match point by holding serve capped by a magical drop shot that tied the match at 5-all.
But after Eala blew a 30-0 edge to lose the 11th game, the Filipina ace completely lost control in the 12th game, losing the match when she netted a lame forehand after Jovic held a 40-15 margin.
The best of friends that they are, the two embraced tightly after the match amid cheers from a crowd dominated by Filipinos that paid seats of as much as 200-1,000 dollars each.
Still, we remain proud of Alex, who reached the third round by soundly beating Mary Stoiana of the US 6-1, 6-2, and Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine 6-1, 6-4.
Her time will come. No hurry.
