MANILA — Alexandra Eala will get another crack at close friend and recent nemesis Iva Jovic when the two rising tennis stars clash in the “Stars of the Open” exhibition Thursday night (Friday in the Philippines) in New York, giving the Filipina an opportunity to reverse two straight losses to the American this season.
Friendship will temporarily take a back seat when Eala and Jovic step onto the court, with the world No. 18 Filipina seeking her first victory over the American after falling short in both of their previous encounters this year.
Jovic first defeated Eala, 6-4, 6-2, in the opening round of the French Open before dominating their second meeting at the Queen’s Championships, 6-2, 6-2.
Despite their rivalry on the court, the two young players have developed a close friendship away from competition. They previously appeared together in a US Open feature where they sampled and shared Filipino snacks.
For Eala, the exhibition provides another opportunity to compete before the New York crowd following her stint in the US Open mixed doubles tournament with Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Eala and Auger-Aliassime bowed out in the Round of 16 after losing to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and France’s Gael Monfils, 4-1, 4-1.
The 21-year-old Filipina enters the exhibition following a breakthrough season highlighted by her first WTA 500 championship and a climb to a career-best No. 18 in the world rankings.
Aside from the Eala-Jovic matchup, the “Stars of the Open” will feature Amanda Anisimova against Marta Kostyuk, Flavio Cobolli against Learner Tien, and Arthur Fils against Alex Michelsen.
The exhibition brings together several prominent and promising players from the WTA and ATP tours, with part of the proceeds from ticket sales benefiting the USTA Foundation./PN
