Alex Eala and Iva Jovic of the United States would have preferred drawing lower-ranked foes for their opening-round match. But there are no easy rides in a Grand Slam.
Instead, world No. 38 Eala will face her good friend, world No. 17 Jovic, in an intriguing and highly anticipated first-round battle in the 2026 French Open on Tuesday (Manila time).
Both Eala and Jovic will be making their second appearances on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
Eala was booted out by Emiliana Arango of Colombia in three sets in the first round of the 2025 French Open.
For her part, Jovic defeated Renata Zarazua of Mexico before falling to Elena Rybakina in the second round.
Recently turned 21, Eala — who celebrated her birthday on Saturday, May 23 — has had a solid season thus far, winning 18 of 30 matches.
Her 60% winning rate is better than the win-loss records of 18 other players ranked inside the top 40 in the world.
Jovic, who turned 18 just last December, has been even more impressive, winning 67% of her 31 matches this year.
Born to a Serbian father and a Croatian mother, Jovic is the youngest player inside the world’s top 20.
There will not be many surprises between Eala and Jovic, who know each other quite well on and off the court.
They teamed up last January in the WTA 250 ASB Classic in New Zealand, where they reached the semifinals of the doubles event.
They renewed their partnership last March at the WTA 1000 Indian Wells in the US, where they were eliminated in the first round.
Eala actually broke into the world’s top 100 earlier than Jovic.
The Filipina rose to No. 75 in the world after her historic run at the Miami Open in March 2025. Jovic entered the top 100 three months later in June.
By September, Jovic catapulted herself to No. 36 after winning the WTA 500 Guadalajara Open.
She sustained her rise in 2026, reaching the semifinals of the ASB Classic — where Eala also made the final four — the final of the WTA 250 Hobart, and the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Jovic is regarded as the odds-on favorite over Eala in their first-ever singles encounter on the pro tour.
In Jovic, Eala will be facing all the brilliance expected of a teen prodigy — with none of the volatility. Jovic is not a player who overwhelms opponents with a single major weapon.
Rather, because she is fundamentally sound in every aspect of her game, she employs a variety of attacks and systematically breaks down her rivals until she finds an opening to exploit.
Like Eala, the teen phenom takes the ball early and can redirect her opponent’s power.
Eala prefers going down the line to force opponents to constantly move side to side. Jovic, on the other hand, goes for broke by driving the ball firmly through the middle, then skillfully changing direction with her versatile backhand.
Jovic displays maturity that belies her youth, so Eala cannot simply put the ball in play and hope for the young American to lose her poise and commit errors.
Jovic will likely have the edge in groundstroke consistency, making prolonged rallies more favorable for her.
(C) WTA
Eala will need to be uncharacteristically aggressive and take control early by going for winners. In her first-round exit at the WTA Strasbourg, she worked on a new wrinkle in her game that, in stretches against Oleksandra Oliynykova, proved effective.
Eala looked for opportunities to rush the net, and when she did, she showed a more confident net game that produced some of her best volley winners in a WTA match to date. This approach could work against Jovic, as it may disrupt the American’s ability to dictate rallies.
Solid down-the-line hitting to create openings and timely net approaches could allow Eala to impose her rhythm and pressure Jovic.
Although Eala will be the first to admit she is still finding her footing on clay, Jovic has also acknowledged her struggles on the slow, low-bouncing surface. Like most Americans, she grew up primarily on hard courts and only began regularly competing on clay in her teens.
It will be interesting to see who between Eala and Jovic has grown more comfortable with the legendary red clay of Roland Garros.
The winner of the Eala-Jovic clash will advance to the second round to face either former world No. 8 Emma Navarro of the United States or world No. 41 Janice Tjen of Indonesia.
