It’s difficult to describe a loss as good because no matter how you cut it, the bottom line is what counts. But in tennis star Alex Eala’s third round defeat to Iva Jovic in the US Open last weekend, the setback couldn’t be as bad as it was. Eala, of course, was disappointed because she came so close to pulling it off. But she’s far from disheartened. If at all, the loss will make her better, stronger and tougher in the challenges still to come and there will be many.
Eala was emotional in the post-game press conference and showed she’s only human, 21 and maturing remarkably. She was in tears after the grueling match that took three hours and three minutes to finish. But there was no trace of bitterness. She lost the match but not her heart. Eala probably felt she let down her legion of fans more than herself. If it’s any consolation, her fans appreciated the gutsy display of high-quality tennis despite the defeat because she went down fighting, refusing to quit, battling for every point and bowing out with grace. You can’t win them all and in Eala’s case, her results were still amazing this season as she zoomed to No. 18 in the WTA standings.
Beyond her performance on the court, Eala mesmerized the sports world with her sincerity, authenticity and simplicity. There’s a reason why she has surpassed every player on the women’s circuit in social media views and why wherever she plays, the venue is sold out. Ealamania is real and there’s no stopping the express train.
Against Jovic, Eala was down 1-4 in the first set then stormed back to nearly force a tiebreaker before losing a 7-5 thriller. In the second set, Eala was phenomenal as she ended Jovic’ streak, 6-3. In two previous matches this year, she had never taken a set from Jovic who won, 6-4, 6-2, in the French Open Round of 128 and 6-2, 6-2 at the Queen’s Club Championships Round of 16.
In the third set, Eala broke Jovic in the first game and raced to a 2-0 advantage. Eala was up, 4-2 then gave up three straight games. She survived a match point and held service. Jovic took the next game then broke Eala to seal it. In all, there were 17 service breaks, seven aces, four by Jovic and nine double faults, five by Eala. Jovic converted nine of 17 break points while Eala, eight of 20. Jovic had more winners, 44-34 and most came from her forehand. Eala went to the net more aggressively, winning 16 of 25 net points compared to Jovic’ 12 of 15. Jovic, however, had a little more Grand Slam experience on her side even as she’s three years younger and it showed in collecting 27 unforced errors to Eala’s 33. Match point came from an Eala forehand into the net.
Jovic, who was born in the US to a Serbian father and Croatian mother, almost crumbled in the third set as Eala was two games away from clinching. But the WTA No. 14 teenager won five of the last six games, displaying grit under pressure. Before the third set, Jovic received medical attention and for a while, appeared to overextend her legs on a split chasing a ball and falling in the process. Eala had her chances but couldn’t seal it. There will be a next time and that’s a sure thing.