ALEX Eala's campaign in the 2026 French Open ended at the first hurdle, losing to good friend and former doubles partner Iva Jovic, 4-6, 2-6 in Paris, France on Tuesday night (Manila time).
The Filipina world No. 37 made a gallant comeback from a slow 1-5 start as she fought back to within 4-5, but she couldn't really find her rhythm against the tournament 17th seed in the clay court of Roland Garros.
READ At 21, Alex Eala is seasoned by experience, learns from the best
Jovic, the world No. 17, managed to keep the momentum on her side throughout the one-hour and 11-minute contest that ended with Eala exiting in the first round at the clay Grand Slam for for the second successive year.
Eala, 21, will still hang around to compete in the doubles event in the coming days alongside Canada’s Victoria Mboko to conclude a campaign on red clay where she went 4-6 (win-loss) before transitioning to the grass season.
Her run to the Round of 64 at the US Open remains her best finish in a Grand Slam tournament.
It was also the first meeting between Eala, 21, and Jovic, 18, who are close friends off the court. Just days earlier Jovic, along with fellow players Eva Lys and Zeynep Sonmez, surprised Eala with a birthday cake during a practice day.
At 18, Jovic is the youngest player in the Top 50. Trailing her are 19-year-olds Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko, who are ranked No. 8 and No. 9 in the world, respectively.
She will next face fellow American Emma Navarro, No. 25, in the second round.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
