Alex Eala’s Roland Garros journey has been halted at the first hurdle.
Iva Jovic proved too strong for the 21-year-old Filipina on Tuesday, winning 6-4, 6-2 on Court 14.
The match was a lot closer than the score suggests: there was little to separate the pair throughout the contest.
Alex Eala is OUT of Roland Garros ❌ Where does she rank among the best young talents on the WTA Tour? 🤔
Jovic began the tie in blistering form, racing out to a 5-1 first-set lead.
Eala then pegged the American back, reducing the deficit to 5-4.
Jovic then produced a superb display of attacking play to close out the set, before eventually closing out the match.
Eala will certainly feel that the match was there to be won, but it was Jovic who shone brightest in the biggest moments.
Alex Eala was overpowered by Iva Jovic
Despite their young ages, Iva Jovic and Alex Eala are already two of the hardest strikers of a tennis ball on the WTA Tour.
Even on the slower clay-court surface at Roland Garros, Jovic and Eala contested their match at a frightening pace throughout.
With that being said, Iva Jovic simply overwhelmed Alex Eala and dictated the pace of play for much of the contest.
This statement is proven correct when analysing the statistics from the match. Eala struck 15 winners during the match, while Jovic hit 34.
| Statistic | Jovic | Eala |
| Aces | 3 | 2 |
| First-serve % | 52% | 68% |
| First-serve points won % | 70% | 50% |
| Second-serve points won % | 47% | 30% |
| Break points won | 6/9 | 3/9 |
| Winners | 34 | 15 |
| Unforced errors | 29 | 28 |
It must be noted that there was most certainly not a lack of intent from Eala: the Filipina played aggressive tennis throughout and looked to play ‘first-strike’ tennis whenever she could.
However, in future, she must do a better job of dictating the pace of play; perhaps using a little more topspin on her shots – as she did during her productive campaign at the Madrid Open last month.
Eala also needs to improve her second serve in order to give herself a better chance of getting on the front foot early in rallies.
Jovic targeted Eala’s second serve throughout Tuesday’s contest, quickly taking control of exchanges.
This was no more evident than during the final game of the first set, where Jovic increased the aggression of her play and won four straight points to close out the set.
Tim Henman and Laura Robson discuss Alex Eala’s support in Paris
“Unsurprising to see a very full court out there,” Laura Robson, an Olympic silver medalist, said midway through the first set on Court 14.
Alex Eala… I can’t imagine the pressure that she must feel every time she walks out onto a match court, because practice, matches, it’s like there’s 500, 600 people that show up no matter where she is in the world.”
Tim Henman, the former world number four, added: “I mean it’s incredible, and that’s the beauty of the sport, that it’s a global game and she’s really burst onto the scene.
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“Played so well in Miami when she reached the semis and beat some great players there in Swiatek and Madison Keys.
“Hopefully we’re going to see these two women for many more years to come.”
Eala will now look ahead to the grass-court season, during which she is scheduled to compete at the Queen’s Club Championships.
The Filipina is currently the second-highest ranked player in the qualifying draw, behind Cristina Bucsa.
