It was another quick exit on the Parisian clay for Alex Eala. The Filipina tennis star was knocked out in the opening round of the French Open, falling in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, to her old friend and rival, Jovic.
The opening frame saw a flash of Eala’s trademark grit. Down late in the set, she rallied to win three straight games to close the deficit to 5-4. But just as momentum seemed to shift, Jovic answered back, breaking Eala’s serve to lock down the first set. From there, the second set was all Jovic, whose crafty, veteran play left Eala with few answers.
While her singles bid is over, redemption remains on the table. Eala will shift her focus to the doubles draw, where she hitches her wagon to a promising partnership with Mboko.