HSBC Championships 2026: Iva Jovic powers past Alexandra Eala to reach quarter-finals
• 2 minute read
Sixth seed Iva Jovic produced a sensational performance to defeat Alexandra Eala and reach the quarter-finals of the HSBC Championships for the first time.
In a meeting between two of the WTA Tour’s brightest young talents, it was world No.19 Jovic who came out on top, sealing a 6-2, 6-2 victory in one hour and 17 minutes to become the first player into the final eight at The Queen’s Club.
Jovic dropped just four games in a commanding display against Eala, who arrived in West London fresh from winning her maiden WTA 125 title on grass at the Lexus Birmingham Open.
“I think it was a good win,” Jovic beamed in her on-court interview. “Alex is a great player and I think she loves the grass having won a title last week. It was super tough, I think I hung in there on those close games and was able to distance myself just enough. The scoreline doesn’t show how tough it was.”
Today’s match not only marked a blockbuster meeting between two of the sport’s rising stars, but also a match-up between two very good friends off the court.
The pair have teamed up on the doubles court in the past but today marked just their second meeting in the singles, following their first round match at Roland Garros a couple of weeks ago where Jovic also won in straight sets.
“It’s more fun playing doubles with her than being on the other side of the net. Unfortunately we have to play in the early rounds but hopefully we play some finals soon enough. She’s a great friend of mine and I’m very grateful for her.”
While still only 18-years-old, Jovic has quickly shown she holds the game to do damage on the grass, with today's win now extending her record on the surface at all levels to 10-1.
The American first highlighted her potential on the surface last summer where she captured her maiden WTA 125 title at the Lexus Ilkley Open before coming through qualifying to reach the main draw at Wimbledon.
It's a surface she has described as her favourite, and if her opening two matches at The Queen's Club are anything to go by, she looks well placed to be a serious contender for the remainder of the summer.
Jovic wasted no time asserting her dominance in the second round clash against Eala. A tightly contested opening service game saw Jovic break the Lexus Birmingham Open champion immediately before being spurred on to a second break to take a 4-1 lead.
The Filipino showed glimpses of a comeback as she broke the sixth seed for the first time, but Jovic stayed aggressive - breaking to love once again to reassert a commanding lead before confidently serving out the set.
The American carried that momentum into the second, where her forehand proved particularly damaging. Jovic recorded a near-perfect forehand quality ranking 9.5 out of 10 - a number well above the draw average of 6.5 - and only missed six forehands across the match.
Aside from her dominant forehand, the sixth seed was equally impressive on the return and won 71% of second serve return points (12/17), allowing her to take full control as she raced out to a 5-1 advantage.
From there, there was no stopping the Australian Open quarter-finalist as she closed out the win on her second match point to punch her ticket to the final eight.
There, she could be on track to face last year's HSBC Championships and Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova, should the second seed come through her clash with Germany’s Laura Siegemund.
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