​It was the match of the 2026 U.S. Open, a tug of war between 21-year-old Filipina Alexandra Eala and 18-year-old American Iva Jovic.The two were like heavyweight boxers exchanging hard hitting rallies and running down a lot of balls. It was physical, intense, and there were a lot of service breaks.Both had ups and downs in the match but worked through them like seasoned pros. Jovic admitted after the match that this win, over her friend Eala, was important and special. Hence, she was more emotional than normal.MORE: Madison Keys, Taylor Fritz bared their souls in hearbreaking US Open press conferencesJovic was down 2-4 in third setAlexandra Eala had the momentum and was up a break. Jovic hunkered down and started hitting more winners and bigger serves.Jovic admitted later that she lost her sanity five times, probably most of those instances were in the third set.In addition to the high level of tennis, the biggest takeaway was the sportsmanship and class showed by each woman. Eala went to Jovic to hug her immediately after the match ended. She held her emotions together and acknowledged the crowd. As the cameras inside the stadium followed Eala, she began to get emotional, understandably so, after the three hour marathon.If this is the next generation of women’s tennis, the game is in good hands. September 5, 2026; New York, United States; Philippines’ Alexandra Eala in action during her third round match against Iva Jovic of the U.S. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn ImagesMORE: Fallout continues after Venus, Serena skip last night’s US Open postmatch press conferenceCoco Gauff awaitsThe two Americans who saved the day, Gauff and Jovic, in the midst of a lot of losses, will meet in the Round of 16.Gauff had a straight set quicker win earlier in the day. She will be the favorite, but if Jovic can recover and play like she did against Eala, it is anyone’s match.— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —