Alex Eala finally pushed Iva Jovic to the limit, but the result was painfully familiar.
On Saturday night (early Sunday in Manila) at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Jovic beat the 17th-seeded Eala 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in a bruising three-hour battle to reach the US Open fourth round, extending her career head-to-head advantage over her Filipina friend to 3-0.
Unlike their first two meetings at Queen’s Club and Roland Garros, both straight-set Jovic wins, Eala stayed in the fight from start to finish.
The 21-year-old fell behind 1-4 in the opening set after surrendering two breaks but recovered to level at 5-5. Jovic held firm, however, taking the set after more than an hour.
Eala answered emphatically in the second, using her improved returning and aggressive play to take the set 6-3 and force a deciding set for the first time in their rivalry.
The momentum briefly appeared to belong to Eala. The Filipina was ahead, 4-2, early in the last set.
Jovic had other ideas. The 18-year-old American steadied herself in the third set and closed out another tight contest, earning her first US Open fourth-round appearance and a meeting with fellow American Coco Gauff.
The statistics underscored how close the match was. Jovic had four aces to Eala’s three, while both won 33 percent of their second-serve points. Jovic’s biggest edge came on return, where she won 56 receiving points compared with Eala’s 49.
That margin was enough to separate two players who spent much of the afternoon trading blows without giving either much breathing room.
For Eala, the loss still marked a significant step forward against an opponent who had previously given her little room to maneuver.
She did not get the win, but she got something from Jovic that had eluded her twice before: a real fight.
Jovic still owns the matchup. This time, though, Eala made her earn it.
