“We had a big hug before and after”: Iva Jovic on friendship with Eala after Roland Garros clash

Iva Jovic’s progression into the second round of Roland Garros was defined as much by the competitive outcome as by the personal context surrounding it, after she defeated close friend Alexandra Eala 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour and 41 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The 17th seed in Paris, extended her strong Grand Slam start to the season, reaching the second round at Roland Garros for the second consecutive year and continuing a pattern of consistency that includes reaching at least the second round in six of her seven major appearances.

The win also carried contextual weight beyond ranking progression. Jovic and Eala had spent the days leading into their match together in Paris, including a birthday celebration for the Filipino player and shared social moments during the clay-court swing.

Despite that backdrop, the match itself followed a professional pattern, with Jovic controlling key phases of the encounter to advance in straight sets.

The competitive familiarity between Jovic and Eala was a defining factor in how the match was framed post-match, with both players entering the contest having shared extensive on-court and off-court experience, including doubles partnerships earlier in the season.

That includes runs together at the ASB Classic, where they reached the semifinals, and a later partnership at Indian Wells. The accumulated experience meant neither player was unfamiliar with the other’s tactical patterns or tendencies. “There are no secrets there. We practice together a lot, we play doubles together a lot, so we both know each other’s tendencies."

Everyone was ready for the other one. It was just about who was going to play their game better that day. She’s definitely one of my closest friends on tour. I have a lot of respect for her as a person and a player. We had a big hug before the match and a big hug after, so no bad blood there. I’m sure there will be many more matches and she’ll get me a couple of times too — that’s tennis.”

The framing of the match reflects a recurring dynamic on the WTA Tour, where doubles partnerships and junior tour relationships frequently translate into early-round singles encounters at major tournaments. In this case, the emotional familiarity did not alter the competitive separation once play began.

Jovic’s ability to manage that dual context—friendship off court, execution on court—was central to her straight-sets victory, which required maintaining focus across a match that featured extended baseline exchanges and tactical familiarity from both sides.

From a performance standpoint, Jovic’s win reinforced her status as one of the more stable young performers in the draw. The 18-year-old has already established a pattern of early-round reliability at Grand Slam level, including her Australian Open quarter-final run earlier this season.

Against Eala, she again demonstrated an ability to impose structure in key moments of the match, particularly in managing rallies where both players were familiar with each other’s shot selection and court positioning.

“I think it was a tough one. Alex is a great player, one of the toughest first-round opponents I could have gotten, especially as a seed," stated the world No. 17. "But I hung tough when I needed to and I’m happy to get it done in straight sets.”

The result also extended Eala’s difficulties on clay, marking her third consecutive defeat on the surface. She finished the clay swing with a 6-4 record, highlighted by a third-round appearance in Rome, but was unable to replicate that level in Paris.

Jovic will next face Emma Navarro in a rematch of their recent meeting, adding another layer of tactical familiarity to an already demanding section of the draw. The American acknowledged the difficulty of her path in Paris, particularly as a 17th seed navigating a cluster of in-form opponents.

“I think the French Open handed me a tricky draw here, honestly. It’s really tough. I played Emma last week, so that’s going to be a bit of a rematch. She’s playing kind of prime Navarro right now and is on a bit of a run, so I’m expecting her to play at the very highest level.”

The focus for Jovic will be sustaining baseline intensity across potentially extended exchanges, particularly against an opponent she already knows from recent competition. She highlighted the need for consistency across sets as a determining factor in such matchups.

“It’s going to be about me making adjustments from last week and sustaining a high level throughout one, two, or three sets, no matter how long it takes, and not having any dips. Because when someone is playing well like that and on a run, if you give them a little bit, they’ll take it.”