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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala bows to Jovic, suffers another early exit in French Open

Alex Eala bows to Jovic, suffers another early exit in French Open

Published May 26, 2026 07:08 pm

At A Glance

  • The Filipina standout struggled to find her rhythm against the world No. 17 as Jovic controlled the match from the baseline to advance to the next round.
Alexandra Eala of Philippines returns to Iva Jovic of the U.S. during their first round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Alexandra Eala of Philippines returns to Iva Jovic of the U.S. during their first round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Alex Eala bowed out early of her 2026 French Open singles campaign after absorbing a 6-4, 6-2 opening-round defeat to close friend Iva Jovic on Tuesday, May 26.
The Filipina standout struggled to find her rhythm against the world No. 17 as Jovic controlled the match from the baseline to advance to the next round.
Jovic seized control early, breaking a 1-all deadlock by reeling off four straight games to build a commanding 5-1 advantage.
Eala, however, showed grit late in the opening set, breaking serve in the seventh game before stringing together two more games to trim the deficit to 5-4. Still, the American regained her footing in the next game and closed out the set in her favor.
Both players kept it close in the second set until Jovic finally broke Eala’s serve in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead and never looked back.
The win arranged Jovic a second-round meeting with 2025 Australian Open quarterfinalist Emma Navarro, who thumped Indonesian Janice Tjen, 6-4, 6-3.
Eala, on the other hand, is still competing in the doubles with Canadian Victoria Mboko, where they are scheduled to meet Leylah Fernandez and Diana Shnaider in the first round.

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Alex Eala French Open Iva Jovic
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