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Advocates Philippines
Eala, Jovic Shock Tennis Legends At ASB Classic
Photo credit: ASB Tennis
AUCKLAND — It was a first-round doubles match that felt more like a final, and Alexandra Eala and Iva Jovic made sure it was one fans at the ASB Classic won’t soon forget.
The young Filipino-American duo pulled off a stunning 7-6, 6-1 upset over tennis icons Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina on Monday, knocking out two of the sport’s biggest names on the opening day at Manuka Doctor Arena.
With four marquee players sharing the court, the matchup was easily one of the most anticipated clashes of the tournament — and it lived up to the hype. Long rallies, highlight-reel shots, and nonstop drama kept the crowd locked in from the opening game.
The turning point came in a nerve-wracking first set. Eala and Jovic stared down eight set points but refused to blink, saving every one before stealing the tiebreak 9-7.
After the match, Jovic admitted they didn’t even realize how many set points they had survived — only that giving up was never an option.
“We just kept telling each other that we can do this, it's not over,” Jovic said.
“We kept repeating that to ourselves, and then we were very brave on the set point so that ended up paying off.”
That confidence carried straight into the second set. Riding the momentum, Eala and Jovic raced to a 4-0 lead. Although Jovic was briefly broken, the pair stayed composed and quickly closed out the match to book a spot in the quarterfinals.
“There was a great first set and you get the momentum after that,” Eala said. “But it's so easy to kind of crash, and I think we did a good job of keeping each other's energy.”
The doubles victory capped off a long and successful day for Jovic, who earlier battled past Gabriela Knutson in singles, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0. After dropping the opening set, she was happy with how she regrouped.
“The first set of the year is always tricky,” she said.
“First match, feeling a little rusty, and my opponent, as a qualifier, she had her groove already, and she came out swinging.
“So I think I did a good job of resetting and bringing my energy up in the second [set] and then riding it through to the third. It's never easy in those types of matches. So I'm glad to just get through it.”
Elsewhere in Monday’s singles action, seventh seed Wang Xinyu rallied to defeat Caty McNally 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, while eighth seed Peyton Stearns bowed out after a 6-2, 7-5 loss to Kaitlin Quevedo.
But for many fans, the story of the day belonged to Eala and Jovic — two rising stars who proved they can go toe-to-toe with the game’s biggest names, and win.
The young Filipino-American duo pulled off a stunning 7-6, 6-1 upset over tennis icons Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina on Monday, knocking out two of the sport’s biggest names on the opening day at Manuka Doctor Arena.
With four marquee players sharing the court, the matchup was easily one of the most anticipated clashes of the tournament — and it lived up to the hype. Long rallies, highlight-reel shots, and nonstop drama kept the crowd locked in from the opening game.
The turning point came in a nerve-wracking first set. Eala and Jovic stared down eight set points but refused to blink, saving every one before stealing the tiebreak 9-7.
After the match, Jovic admitted they didn’t even realize how many set points they had survived — only that giving up was never an option.
“We just kept telling each other that we can do this, it's not over,” Jovic said.
“We kept repeating that to ourselves, and then we were very brave on the set point so that ended up paying off.”
That confidence carried straight into the second set. Riding the momentum, Eala and Jovic raced to a 4-0 lead. Although Jovic was briefly broken, the pair stayed composed and quickly closed out the match to book a spot in the quarterfinals.
“There was a great first set and you get the momentum after that,” Eala said. “But it's so easy to kind of crash, and I think we did a good job of keeping each other's energy.”
The doubles victory capped off a long and successful day for Jovic, who earlier battled past Gabriela Knutson in singles, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0. After dropping the opening set, she was happy with how she regrouped.
“The first set of the year is always tricky,” she said.
“First match, feeling a little rusty, and my opponent, as a qualifier, she had her groove already, and she came out swinging.
“So I think I did a good job of resetting and bringing my energy up in the second [set] and then riding it through to the third. It's never easy in those types of matches. So I'm glad to just get through it.”
Elsewhere in Monday’s singles action, seventh seed Wang Xinyu rallied to defeat Caty McNally 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, while eighth seed Peyton Stearns bowed out after a 6-2, 7-5 loss to Kaitlin Quevedo.
But for many fans, the story of the day belonged to Eala and Jovic — two rising stars who proved they can go toe-to-toe with the game’s biggest names, and win.
Jan 5, 2026
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