Jovic moved to tears after beating ‘incredible’ friend Eala in US Open epic

Iva Jovic outlasted the fellow young tennis sensation from the Philippines, Alex Eala, in an epic three-hour showdown.Published On 6 Sep 20266 Sep 2026American teen Iva Jovic was moved to tears while talking about her off-court friend and on-court opponent Alex Eala, whom she beat in a three-set thriller to enter the round of 16 at the US Open.Jovic outlasted the fellow young tennis sensation from the Philippines in an epic three-hour showdown on Saturday to book a meeting with fourth-seeded former champion Coco Gauff.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4FIFA’s Infantino avoids questions on his future amid growing uncertaintylist 2 of 4Man Utd in ‘good place’ ahead of Premier League trip to Evertonlist 3 of 4Arsenal boss Arteta relishes Premier League duel with Chelsea’s Alonsolist 4 of 4Fenerbahce’s Greenwood, Guendouzi handed fines and bans after brawl at Lyonend of listThe 14th-seed Jovic won five of the last six games for a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 triumph over 17th-seed Eala after three hours and three minutes.“That felt like a marathon, and I felt like I lost my sanity five times over to win that match,” Jovic said. “But it’s really worth it for this feeling.”Two of the top ris...