MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala may have bowed out of the US Open but the Filipino sensation gave everything she had in her third-round 5-7, 6-3, 5-7 loss to American Iva Jovic at the Arthur Ashe Stadium Sunday morning in Manila.
"What I know for sure is that I left everything out there," said Eala in the post-match presser following her 3-hour and 3-minute battle against Jovic.
"I fought through the ups and downs, through, I guess, there were moments where I wasn't playing so good, and moments where I was playing really good. So what I know for a fact is that I fought. I'm happy with that."
Eala fought hard, indeed, as she crawled back from a set down to force a decider where she even held a 4-2 lead against her close friend.
World No. 14 Jovic won three games in a row but No. 18 Eala held serve to tie the third set at 5-5, but the American won the last two games to advance.
Eala thus lost to Jovic for the third time in as many matches.
The lefty netter first yielded to Jovic at the French Open first round, 4-6, 2-6, last May, and at the Queen's Club second round the following month, 2-6, 2-6.
"I do think that I've grown as a player since the last time that we played each other. And I definitely think that this match, I had my chances, and I was able to kind of set myself up for some opportunities, which was great," said Eala.
"I'm happy with the match. I think in general, of course, there is disappointment in losing. But yeah, trying to see the positive side, I think it was a really good match. I think the level was really high.
So yeah, congrats to Eva for pushing through."
While they're close friends, Eala said that she and Jovic are simply professionals that had to do their job.
"I don't think that being friends affects how much we fight on court, or how badly we want it. But yeah, I think it's just a part of life, having friends. And we're professionals, so that's, yeah, it's kind of it."
