Iva Jovic shares love for certain restaurant after defeating good friend at Queen's: "I love Nando's, so I'll have to check that out in the next couple of days"

Iva Jovic is already enjoying her stay in London. She blitzed past her good friend Alexandra Eala 6-2m 6-2 to become the first player to reach the last-eight of the Queen's Club Championships on debut.

Eala already had a title under her belt on grass following her triumph in the WTA 125 event in Birmingham. However, she was no match for a brilliant Jovic who dismantled her once more following their first meeting at Roland Garros very recently.

Jovic kicked off with a break before doubling that enroute to a 4-1 lead. Eala nabbed one of them back before the American clinched eight of the last nine points to get the first set complete. It was just as dominant in the second. Jovic won four games in a row to leap out into a 4-1 lead before seeing it out on serve.

She was very happy to get over the line. "I think I did a good job of hanging tough in a lot of those service games," she told the Tennis Channel afterwards. "There were so many deuces, and it's so crucial to keep the holds coming on grass because it's a little bit of break-hold tennis. So I think I took care of my service games when it got close and did a good job with my returns, really making her feel the pressure and trying to lower her first-serve percentage. The first two shots on grass are super important."

This time last year, Jovic was rising through the ranks but impressing vastly. She won the Ilkley Open last year on grass and has since done some brilliant stuff. Winning a WTA 500 title and reaching a Grand Slam quarter-final are some of the highlights from what is a very impressive rise for the young talent.

It is her first time competing at Queen's. Already she is fond of it. "It's an amazing event. Honestly, I've been loving it here," she said. "I've heard so many good things from the guys over the years, so it's really nice that there's a women's event here now too, and hopefully I can play it for many years.

"Also, the number of people who come out is incredible. I don't even know what day it is—Wednesday, I think? It all rolls into one during tournaments. But for a Wednesday morning, it's an amazing crowd with lots of energy, which is great."

Being in the UK, Jovic is immersing herself in the culture. That includes the food with a couple of restaurants having taken her pick while her coach eyes up a certain football tournament on the horizon.

"Tom, my coach, loves a Sunday roast, so we'll be having that. He's super pumped for the World Cup, so that's also coming up," she said. "I've had Wagamama, which he thinks is a classic, and then Nando's. I love Nando's, so I'll have to check that out in the next couple of days."

If she continues to make progress in this tournament, she may not have time to do so. She is set to face one of Amanda Anisimova or Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals. Her grass expertise have continued to impress and she will fancy herself a crack at the title.