Alexandra Eala vs Iva Jovic — full preview, head-to-head breakdown and prediction for their THIRD ROUND clash at the 2026 US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York. Two of the brightest young players in the game, close friends off court, with a place in the second week of a Grand Slam on the line.
Alex Eala has been close to flawless in New York. The 17th seed — the highest-seeded Filipina in Grand Slam history — has dropped just eight games in two rounds, sweeping American qualifier Mary Stoiana 6-1, 6-2 and then avenging her Strasbourg loss to Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4. It continues the summer that changed her career: the first WTA singles title ever won by a player from the Philippines at the DC Open in Washington, past Qinwen Zheng, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka and world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, then a Toronto round of 16 and a place inside the world's top 20.
Iva Jovic is no gentle draw. The 14th seed reached a career-high World No. 14 in August and is 31-16 on the season, with a maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open — where she became the youngest American woman to reach the last eight in Melbourne since Venus Williams in 1998 — plus the third round at Roland-Garros and the fourth round at Wimbledon. She survived Magdalena Frech 7-5, 6-3 before beating Francesca Jones 6-4, 6-4.
And here's the problem for Eala: Jovic OWNS this head-to-head. She won 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the French Open and 6-2, 6-2 at Queen's — and she beat Eala again 6-3 in the "Stars of the Open" exhibition on Arthur Ashe just last week. Jovic says she's "super excited" for it. Eala has never taken a set off her.
The winner reaches the second week. Can Eala finally solve her friend?
🎾 IN THIS VIDEO
- The pattern behind Jovic's two wins over Eala
- How much the exhibition result actually tells us
- Eala's level now versus June, when they last played for real
- Prediction and the path beyond
📊 MATCH INFO
Tournament: 2026 US Open (Grand Slam)
Round: Third Round — Women's Singles
Players: Alexandra Eala (PHI, 17th seed) vs Iva Jovic (USA, 14th seed)
Head-to-head: Jovic leads 2-0 (Roland-Garros 2026 6-4 6-2; Queen's 2026 6-2 6-2)
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, New York
💬 Does Alex finally beat her? Predicted scoreline in the comments.
👍 Like if you've followed Alex's run since Washington
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