Jovic defeats Eala in French Open first round

Iva Jovic defeated Alex Eala 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the French Open on Tuesday. The two players, described as good friends on the tour, met on clay in Paris. Jovic, the 17th seed and 2026 Australian Open quarterfinalist, took control after an early exchange of breaks.

Match details Eala created two break opportunities in the opening game but could not convert them. Jovic then won five of the next six games to lead 5-1 before Eala won three straight games to close the gap to 5-4. Jovic broke again to close the set.

In the second set the players traded breaks to reach 2-2, after which Jovic won four consecutive games. Jovic finished with a 21-10 edge in first-return points won. Eala held a 67 percent first-serve percentage compared with Jovic's 50 percent.

Aftermath The loss ends Eala's clay-court season.

She is currently ranked 37th and will next compete on grass. The result leaves both players to prepare for the remainder of the European swing.