Alexandra Eala overcome with emotion as she walks out of the US Open following Iva Jovic loss

It was all too much for Alexandra Eala as her US Open campaign came to an end, and so did her magical North American hardcourt swing. She suffered another defeat to Iva Jovic in a three-set classic before being seen walking down the tunnel visibly emotional.

This tie had been hyped up so much by tennis fans, analysts and pundits. Eala and Jovic are two of the top youngsters currently competing on the WTA Tour and both have huge potentials in this sport, and are also showcasing their quality now.

They played out an absolute thriller on Arthur Ashe Stadium which went the way of the home favourite Jovic who prevailed 7-4, 3-6, 7-5 after an excellent three hours of tennis was played out.

The 18-year-old breaks new ground at Flushing Meadows, reaching the last-16 for the first time in New York while also making it a third fourth round appearance at major level this year. She will face an inform Coco Gauff for a second Grand Slam quarter-final in a blockbuster contest.

On the contrary, Eala gave it her all but was not able to get over the line. She led every set 4-2 at some point, but was only able to kick on in the second set which was the solitary one she came on top in. A lifeline was handed after Jovic missed a match point at 5-4 but it would not matter as she got over the line a few games later, handing Eala a devastating blow.

Eala left Arthur Ashe soon after as the overwhelming emotions brewed up due to the occasion became clear on the face of the Filipina. Sportingly, she came to the other side of the net to give her pal a hug before walking down the tunnel with her stuff out of the US Open for another year, but she has shown a statement of intent and the 21-year-old will be back.

Eala may have been slightly deflated, but still attended her press conference to share her thoughts on the painful defeat. "I'm happy with the match. Of course, the loss is disappointing, but I try to focus on the positives," she said. "I think it was a very good match and the level was very high. So congratulations to Iva for her fighting spirit and her victory."

It is still a huge learning process for Eala who is willing to continue building her game. "I still need to absorb what I learned tonight. But what I'm sure of is that I gave everything on the court. I fought through the good moments and the bad ones, even when I wasn't playing very well and even when I was playing really well at other times.

While the overall feeling is negative, Eala can still single out the positives to focus on. "What I'm certain of is that I fought until the very end, and I'm proud of that. I truly believe I've grown as a player since our last encounter. In this match, I had my chances and I managed to put myself in situations that gave me options, and that's a positive."

Eala and Jovic have played three times on the WTA Tour, all of them going the way of Jovic in what is becoming a one-sided rivalry. Eala acknowledged that their friendship was not getting in the way of their fighting spirit on court.

"I don't think being friends affects how hard we fight on the court or how much we want to win. But, yes, having friends is part of life and we're professionals, so that's all there is to it," she commented. "I definitely think I've grown as a player since the last time we faced each other. In this game, I had my chances and was able to put myself in some situations that gave me options, and that was positive."

Eala's attention will now turn to Asia as she looks to continue her fine form. Her priority is the Asian games, but first up is the Singapore Open, in which she will be sure to have a huge amount of support.