Alexandra Eala’s historic run at the US Open came to a heartbreaking close, falling to her good friend and fellow rising star Iva Jovic in a thrilling third-round clash at Arthur Ashe Stadium, 5-7, 6-3, 5-7 on Saturday night. Visibly emotional after the final point, she left the stadium in tears, leaving everything on the court and walking away with her head held high after a valiant fight that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Alexandra Eala’s US Open 2026 Run Ends
The match was an absolute nail-biter from start to finish. Eala showed incredible grit to bounce back after dropping a tight opening set, commanding the second to force a decider. The Filipina trailblazer even seized control in the third set, surging to a promising 4-2 lead. However, the 14th-seeded Jovic mounted a late-match comeback, breaking back and managing to close out the final games to snatch the victory.
Eala 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/Hs4tVsbrKe
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 6, 2026
Eala’s journey to the third round at the Flushing Meadows featured impressive performances. She kicked off her campaign with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over American qualifier Mary Stoiana inside Louis Armstrong Stadium. She followed that up in the second round by powering past Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4, displaying exceptional court poise and baseline consistency to dispatch her opponent in little over an hour before making the Arthur Ashe Stadium’s debut against Jovic.
A Historic Legacy for Philippine Tennis
Though this tournament ended in heartbreak, Eala continues to rewrite the record books for her home country. Eala won the 2022 US Open girls’ singles title by defeating Lucie Havlíčková, marking the first time a player representing the Philippines ever won a junior Grand Slam singles championship.
During her main draw debut in New York in 2025, she produced a legendary comeback against Clara Tauson, becoming the first Filipino player to win a main-draw match at a major tournament in the Open Era.
In 2026, returning to Flushing Meadows as a seeded player and the highest-ranked Filipino in history (World No. 18), she advanced to the US Open third round for the first time.
(More to follow…)
