Iva Jovicand Alex Ealaproduced one of the most memorable matches of this year's US Open , the marathon three-hour-and-three-minute battle at the Arthur Ashe Stadium that lived up to all the hype. The American closed out the match 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, coming back from the decider and even saving a match point against the Filipino. She leveled it to 5-5 and then closed out the game by winning two consecutive games, as Eala sent a forehand straight into the net.
The numbers speak to the quality of the match, as the American finished with 44 winners, whereas Eala, who is not particularly known for hitting winners, still hit 34 throughout the match. Both kept their unforced error tally close to 30, producing a low-error game. Even the break point opportunities differed by only one point, with Jovic edging past Eala.
After the match, the 18-year-old collapsed to her knees in tears and later described the physical and emotional toll, saying it took "losing my earrings, falling literally flat out on the floor, cuts on my knees, mental breakdowns" just to get through it.
Eala, despite the heartbreak of the loss, immediately walked around the other side of the net and hugged her best friend. Then even visited her again in the locker room, a gesture that was very heartfelt for Jovic, and described Eala's character as "incredible".
Considering all of that, it should have been a simple, heartfelt story: Two best friends who gave their all against each other on the court. Instead, there was a section of people online who were turning on Iva Jovic for not mentioning Eala in the on-court interview, with some framing it as jealousy, even when she spoke about her at stretch in the press conference.
One fan laid out the defense in detail, writing that the criticism ignored basic context.
"You can ride hard for Alex Eala without turning Iva Jovic into a Disney villain," he wrote. "This wasn't about the hug. It was the on-court interview. She didn't name-drop Alex for 40 seconds after a 3-hour war on Ashe and some of y'all called it jealousy. Then she sat down and said Alex is one of her best friends. That's not a snub. That's how interviews go. Tennis first."
"Feelings after. Jovic won. Alex had a great one. Things happen. This sport has also sometimes affected Novak and Nadal. Be a fan. Don't be weird. Esp. people on the Threads app. We are hurt too! 24 hours since the last sleep I had, were you not entertained and witness greatness worth telling your grandchildren? Salamat!"
"Media loves creating their own story," one fan wrote. "These two are great. Leave them alone." Another framed the backlash as part of a wider pattern in how women's tennis rivalries get discussed.
"Stop pitting women against each other and making up toxic rivalry!" the post read. "They can all be up there, fixing each other's crowns. They are all great and doing great things for tennis! Enjoy it and don't be creepy and weird."
Meanwhile, Jovic enjoys her farthest US Open run and will now lock horns with fellow American and fourth seed Coco Gauff in the Round of 16.
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