By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala suffered yet another crushing defeat to close friend Iva Jovic, 2-6, 2-6, in the second round of the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club on Wednesday, June 10.
Unable to match the ferocious plays of the sixth-seeded Jovic, the unseeded Eala, ranked No. 33 in the world, bowed out after just 76 minutes.
This was Eala’s second loss to Jovic since their first round duel in the French Open where she was also beaten in just two sets two weeks ago.
Jovic, ranked No. 19 in the world, dictated the tempo from the outset and raced to a 3-1 lead before comfortably taking the first set.
The American maintained her dominance in the second set, fending off Eala’s attempts to mount a comeback with her pin-point shots.
Overall, Jovic was broken only once while converting five break points against Eala to secure her place in the quarterfinals.
Eala, fresh from winning the Birmingham Classic over the weekend, will next see action in the Berlin Tennis Open in Germany starting June 15 where she is listed in the qualifying round.
