"Sharing the court with two pioneers of the sport means a lot to me" - Youth defies experience in Auckland as Jovic and Eala defeat Williams and Svitolina

There was a battle of experience against youth in the ASB Classic women's doubles competition, with the youth of Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala getting a win over Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina.

It was one of the more eagerly awaited matches over in Auckland, with a huge amount of talent and prestige on the court at one time. Williams was teaming up with Svitolina for the first time on the court, with both players beforehand sharing their excitement to be working with each other.

They have faced off on the court many times in the past, with the Ukrainian having much of the recent success, but now they could put their prior battles behind them to work together. While those clashes have come over a long period, Eala and Jovic's touted rivalry has barely blossomed yet. The two very talented players have a combined age of 38 - that is still younger the Williams with it showing off how young they are and the incredible longevity Williams possesses. 

In a match which promised a lot of twists and turns, it was Eala and Jovic who started the faster, getting out of the blocks with a key break of serve. Three games later, Williams and Svitolina managed to claw their way back into the tie with three games on the spin to put the match back on serve.

It looked like that they had the upper hand after a break at what looked like the end of the set was going to give them the advantage. However, Eala and Jovic stuck with them and broke back. Williams and Svitolina then mustered up a brace of set points, but could not take them as the match headed to a tiebreaker. It was a very close tiebreak, with both teams clinging onto each other. Williams and Svitolina failed to take another two set points, with them being ruthlessly punished by Eala and Jovic who had one chance for the set, and emphatically took it. 

This got them into their groove, with the young talents dominating the next set and they would end up sprinting to victory. A double break saw them go into a 4-0 lead. Williams and Svitolina clinched one of the breaks back but that was immediately extinguished with Eala and Jovic one away from sailing into the next round. They did this with flying colours, knocking out their senior opponents to continue what looks like a flourishing partnership.

After the match, the extent of fans from the Philippines who had come out to support Eala was shown, with the Filipina enjoying it. "The crowd has been amazing. It’s so special to be out here for the first time. We’ve got some Filipino support in the building, which is really cool," she said. "Hi everyone—hello! Maligayang Pasko and Happy New Year to everybody. Thank you so much for supporting me and Iva."

She also shared her delight to be on the court not just with Jovic, but Williams and Svitolina who she described as 'pioneers' of the sport. "I had such a good time on court. I think we had a lot of fun, and to start the year with a moment like this is really special. Sharing the court with two pioneers of the sport—and pioneers of the court as well—means a lot to me. They’re people I’ve looked up to since I was young, so I’m very happy to be able to share this moment with them and with all of you. They’re special players, and this is a big moment in their careers. I’m just really grateful to be part of it."