Eala Falls to Jovic in French Open Singles Opener, Shifts Focus to Doubles Campaign
PARIS, France — Filipina tennis standout Alexandra “Alex” Eala struggled to find her rhythm on clay as she bowed out in the opening round of the French Open singles tournament, losing to American teenager Iva Jovic at the Simonne-Mathieu Court in Roland Garros.
Eala went down 6-4, 6-2 in a tightly contested match that lasted one hour and 40 minutes. The Filipina briefly took control early in the second set, grabbing a 1-0 lead before Jovic quickly responded to regain momentum.
The American youngster surged ahead with consecutive game wins before Eala managed to hold serve and level at 2-2. However, that proved to be her last bright spot as Jovic—ranked No. 17 in the world—raced to win four straight games and seal the victory.
Jovic advances to face fellow American Emma Navarro in the second round.
Despite the early exit, Eala is set to receive €87,000 (over ₱6 million) in prize money from her singles campaign.
Her French Open journey, however, continues in doubles, where she will team up with Canada’s Victoria Mboko. The pair is scheduled to face a challenging opening-round matchup against Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and Russia’s Diana Shnaider. (Sourced online by Tracy Cabrera)
ia/xf
