MANILA, Philippines — New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson cheered up fellow Filipino sports star Alex Eala after her third-round exit at the US Open on Sunday.
Eala, the first Filipino player to capture a WTA title, yielded to her friend Iva Jovic in a highly-competitive 3-set battle that lasted for 3 hours and 3 minutes, 5-7, 6-3, 5-7.
The defeat left Eala in tears as she headed back to her dugout at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
“Queen Eala forever! Keep doing great things!” Clarkson wrote in a social media post.
“I’m proud, everybody is proud of you twin!!! Keep going," the first player with Filipino heritage to win an NBA title added.
Clarkson and Eala linked up before the latter's singles campaign in the US Open, talking about representing the Philippines in the international stage.
As Eala wrapped another Grand Slam appearance, she expressed nothing but gratitude.
"Live for the chase," Eala captioned her US Open action photos in an Instagram post Monday.
"Immense gratitude for what I’ve been through this week. US Open ‘26, a forever kind of memory."
Meanwhile, Jovic praised Eala's gracefulness in defeat, coming over to the net to hug her.
“After that kind of match, to come over and hug me and wish me all the best, it says a lot about her as a person to be able to do that," said Jovic.
“Even in the locker room, behind closed doors, that just says a lot about her and her character."
