Teen sensation 'lost earrings' and suffered 'mental breakdown' to get US Open win

Andrew GambleSun, September 6, 2026 at 5:02 AM UTC

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Iva Jovic and Alex Eala share a close friendship alongside their competitive rivalry -Credit:Getty Images

American starlet Iva Jovic claimed “it took literally everything” to overcome Alex Eala in the third round of the US Open.

On Saturday, after watching two of her compatriots crash out in shocking circumstances, Jovic won the battle of the starlets to advance to the fourth round of the US Open. The 18-year-old ended Eala’s celebrated run, winning 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 to set up a last 16 clash with No. 4 seed Coco Gauff.

Friends off the court, Jovic and Eala put on one of the best and most enthralling contests of the entire tournament. Their premier ball-striking skills were on display throughout, with each woman staying on the baseline to play the angles in a gripping showdown between two of the brightest young stars in the game.

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The proof is in the pudding. Leaning on her dynamite forehand, Jovic posted 44 winners to 27 unforced errors, while Eala put up 34 winners to 33 unforced errors as both women stayed positive. Jovic also converted nine of 17 break points, with Eala securing eight of 20.

Ultimately, Eala was gracious in defeat and Jovic was equally courteous upon overcoming her friend and rival. She acknowledged how difficult it was to get over the line, saying in her on-court interview: “That felt like a marathon and I felt like I lost my sanity five times over to win that match, but it's really worth it for this feeling. I'm usually not one that shows that many emotions, but this one meant a lot to me.”

Then, in her post-match press conference, Jovic explained the lengths she needed to go to in order to win. She said: “It took losing my earrings, falling literally flat-out on the floor, cuts on my knees, mental breakdowns. It took literally everything.

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“That is exactly what it took, but I think I've learned a lot over kind of this year with match management, and I've lost a couple of tough ones like this in the slams earlier in the year.

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Iva Jovic collapsed to the court in delight after securing the win -Credit:Getty Images

“So I'm happy to kind of get this one under my belt. I feel like I did some things better from the match management perspective.”

Gauff is now up next for Jovic in an all-American showdown for a place in the quarterfinals. They’ve only met once before; at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome in May, where Gauff overcame a match point while trailing in the second set to win 5–7, 7–5, 6–2.

Jovic is not backing down from the challenge, and is excited about the prospect of taking on the 2023 US Open champion at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

She added: “Yeah, I mean, this is what you want, you know. Week 2 in the slams, you're playing one of the best players in the world.

“Obviously she's playing quite well right now. But last time I played her, it was a little bit of a heartbreaker and I had a lot of chances. Hopefully I can learn from that and replicate. I think if I replicate this level, I'm definitely going to have my chances in that one.”

Jovic takes on Gauff in the fourth round of the US Open on Monday, September 7.

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Source: “AOL Sports”