American player Iva Jovic has won against Filipina tennis star Alexa Eala in the first round, resulting in her elimination from the 2026 French Open on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
The match lasted 1 hour and 14 minutes, with Eala showing some momentum in the first set but unable to maintain it against Jovic. Eala lost to the 17th-seeded Jovic in straight sets, 4-6, 2-6.
Eala made a brief comeback in the first set, narrowing the score to 4-5 after trailing 1-5, but Jovic broke her serve to win the set.
In the second set, both players exchanged early breaks before Jovic secured another break in the sixth game. The American then held her serve easily and broke again to finish with a 6-4, 6-2 victory in 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Even though Eala exited early from the French Open, her journey at Roland Garros is not over. The Filipina tennis star will compete in the doubles event with her partner, Canada’s Victoria Mboko.
They are set to face a challenging opening-round match against Leylah Fernandez and her partner on May 27, Wednesday.
“I think it was a tough match,” Jovic said after her victory. “Alex is a great player. One of the toughest first rounds, especially as a seed, that I could have faced. But I stayed strong when it mattered, and I’m glad to have won in straight sets.”
Jovic’s best Grand Slam performance was at this year’s Australian Open, where she reached the quarterfinals. She also made it to the second round at Roland Garros for the second consecutive year after being eliminated in the second round in 2025.
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