By Emily Blanco
MANILA – Alexandra Eala’s Queen’s Club campaign came to a halt disappointingly after the Filipina star suffered a commanding 2-6, 2-6 defeat to sixth-seed American Iva Jovic in the second round of the WTA 500 HSBC Championships on Wednesday night (Philippine time) in London.
Eala had started strong in the tournament, dispatching China’s Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round, raising hopes of a deeper run on grass. But those hopes quickly faded as Jovic took full control of their second-round clash.
The result marked another chapter in Jovic’s growing dominance over Eala, improving her head-to-head record to 2-0 after also beating the Filipino in the first round of the French Open earlier this season.
World No. 19 Jovic, who reached the Australian Open quarterfinals this year, continues her strong form and moves on to face either second seed Amanda Anisimova or Germany’s Laura Siegemund in the next round.
Despite the setback, Eala’s ranking continues to climb, rising to World No. 33 from No. 37 following her breakthrough Birmingham Open triumph last week—her first grass-court title and second WTA 125 crown after her 2025 Guadalajara win.
She also remains one of the Philippines’ brightest rising stars, having clinched the Southeast Asian Games women’s singles gold in 2025, ending a 26-year drought for the country. elamigo/
