Iva Jovic was pleased with her ‘match management’ as her and Alexandra Eala stole the show at the US Open.
It was a three hour thriller in one of the best matches of the US Open so far which ended in victory for Iva Jovic.
The American defeated good friend Alexandra Eala 7-5 3-6 7-5 to reach the last 16 in New York.
It was an electric match which saw both players have opportunities but it was Jovic who came through for her third consecutive win against Eala.
After the match Jovic explained what it meant to her to win that match in what was a tense contest, “Yeah, I mean, for me personally, this means more than a 1 and 2 win, and especially knowing the level that was played,” Jovic said in her press conference.
“I mean, I was literally looking at the stats right after I finished, because I couldn’t believe what just happened. We were both in the positive with the winners versus unforced errors, so it was just really, really high level. That’s gives me a lot of confidence to be able to beat someone who is playing arguably top-5 tennis right now with the summer that she’s had.
“So it gives me a lot of confidence. I think if I can replicate that, yeah, it’s going to be good.”
Jovic needed to throw the kitchen sink at the match given how well Eala was playing in what was a battle on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The American stated that her match management was the key to earning a place in the fourth round, “Yeah, I said this earlier, it took losing my earrings, falling literally flat-out on the floor, cuts on my knees, mental breakdowns. It took literally everything,” Jovic explained.
”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. 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.”
As for Eala it was disappointment as she left the court in tears having lost a very tight contest against her fiercest rival but also her best friend.
It’s been a great season for Eala who admitted she has learned a lot from her Grand Slam season, “What have I not learned this year? You know, with, I guess, this experience or the experiences that I have had this year, I’m put in so many situations, and, I guess, so many firsts,” Eala said in her press conference.
“With those situations comes new lessons. I learn about myself. I learn about how to act. I learn about what’s the best way for me to handle an obstacle. I learn about what effect do my decisions have further down the line. Those themes stick with tennis, yes, but also in life. So that’s what I’ve learned, short summary of what I’ve learned past year.
“What I’ve learned tonight, I have yet to process. But I think that what I know for sure is that I left everything out there. I fought through the ups and downs, through, I guess there were moments I wasn’t playing so good and moments where I was playing really good. What I know for a fact is that I fought, so I’m happy with that.”
While Eala heads home, Jovic will now face Coco Gauff on Monday for a place in the US Open quarter-finals.
