Mumbai: The point started with a baseline brawl, both players hitting with pace and intent. And then Iva Jovic threw in a forehand slice that drew Alexandra Eala towards the net. The rally continued with Jovic hitting from the back and Eala, at the net, stretching to keep her volleys in play.
“I felt like I lost my sanity five times over to win that match. Jovic had won both their previous matches in straight sets, but this was the first time they were meeting on hard court. This was in an exhibition match during the Fan Week at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in New York ahead of the US Open. But it’s really worth it for this feeling. This was only the third instalment of what is expected to become the next big rivalry in women’s tennis. The Filipino held on though, and it looked like it would go into the match tie-break. The crafty lefty pushed Jovic into a corner and aimed to strike a forehand winner only for the shot to hit the net. What happened in the hard-fought contest showed the character of two fearless, aggressive players. “To be able to do that after that type of match and still come over and hug me and wish me all the best. And even in the locker room, behind closed doors.
And it proved a high-octane match between two youngsters who are on the ascendency and currently sit on their career-high ranking (Jovic is world No.14 and Eala No.18). Eala took an early 2-0 lead. With Jovic trailing 2-4, the American won three games on the trot and had a match point on Eala’s serve. With Eala serving to stay in the match at 5-6, Jovic had a second match point.
“That felt like a marathon,” a breathless Jovic said in her on-court interview. But the exchange at the end told a story of a friendship between two fierce rivals on court. “It says a lot about her as a person,” Jovic said in the media conference, about Eala greeting her after the match. That just says a lot about her and her character.”
On Saturday night, on that very court, 14th seed Jovic and 17th seed Eala played a competitive match, for ranking points, for a bigger chunk of the prize money, and a spot in the fourth round of the US Open.
