Monica Seles was left impressed after Alex Eala and Iva Jovic staged a dramatic third-round meeting at the US Open.

The pair delivered one of the standout matches of the tournament in New York, with Jovic eventually edging a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 victory after more than three hours on court. The hard-court Grand Slam contest was full of momentum shifts and played in front of an Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd that stayed engaged throughout. Although many in the stands were behind Eala, both players drew strong support during a contest that never lost its edge.

Jovic later reflected on the physical and mental toll of the match, saying: “It took losing my earrings, falling literally flat out on the floor, cuts on my knees, mental breakdowns. It took literally everything.”

Seles, the nine-time Grand Slam champion and former world No 1, also took note of the quality on display. She wrote on Instagram: “Last night’s US Open match was on 🔥. The intensity in every single point was 🙉. I wish it was a 3 out of 5 set match as I didn’t want it to end,”

The result sends Jovic into the fourth round, where she will face fellow American Coco Gauff after Gauff beat Cristina Bucsa 6-3, 6-4. Jovic said the win over Eala gave her confidence, adding: “I couldn’t believe what just happened,” the teenager said after reaching the round of 16 for the first time New York. “We were both in the positive with the winners versus unforced errors, so it was just really, really high level.

“That gives me a lot of confidence, to be able to beat someone who is playing arguably top five tennis right now, with the summer that she’s had.

“I think if I can replicate that, it’s going to be good.”

For Eala, the defeat closed a Grand Slam season that brought real progress. She reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and the third round at the US Open, both career firsts. After her run ended in New York, the 21-year-old Filipina posted on Instagram: “Live for the chase. Immense gratitude for what I’ve been through this week. US Open ‘26, a forever kind of memory.”

Carlos Alcaraz produced a commanding display to defeat Tommy Paul and book his place in the US Open quarter-finals, extending a remarkable run in New York. The Spaniard’s 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory added another chapter to what has already been a record-setting campaign at the tournament.

Alcaraz is now on a personal-best 18-match winning streak at Grand Slams after winning the US Open last year and then capturing his first Australian Open title in January. That sequence was interrupted when he missed the French Open and Wimbledon with a wrist injury, a setback that raised questions about whether a best-of-five comeback at Flushing Meadows might come too soon.

Instead, he has moved through the event with increasing authority and said afterwards that his level is returning to where he wants it to be.

“I played my game. I tried to put my style on today’s match,” said Alcaraz.

He added: “Tommy is such a talented player and his shots are dangerous and hard to control, so I just tried to be ready for the battle, ready to run if it mattered.

“I tried to be aggressive all the time, and tried not to let him stay on the court.

“I put so much pressure on the return game. It helped a lot to play relaxed, calm and to think clearly.

“I’m really happy with the performance today.”

Asked whether he felt fully back to peak strength, he said: “I think so. I play well every time I come here, and I just try to enjoy it.

“It doesn’t matter I was out for four-and-a-half months, every time I come here I play my best.”

Alcaraz now owns a 90.3% win percentage record at the US Open, the best mark in history. Pete Sampras is second at 88.8%, followed by Roger Federer on 86.4% and Novak Djokovic on 85.6%.

Former British No 1 Tim Henman was equally impressed, arguing the two-time US Open champion is building momentum at exactly the right time.

“It’s a pleasure to watch Alcaraz go through the gears. He’s just got better and better as this tournament has gone on.

“Tommy Paul gave it everything he had but, at the end of the day, Alcaraz was a different class.

“The forehand was firing. I’ve seen plenty of good forehands over the years, but I think Alcaraz’s might be the best. It’s unbelievable how he hits it so hard and doesn’t look like missing.”

On this evidence, Alcaraz is emerging as a strong contender to claim a third US Open title in next Sunday’s final.

Alex Eala left her US Open defeat to Iva Jovic with visible emotion, but one former finalist at Flushing Meadows believes the 21-year-old Filipina is on a path that will eventually lead to Grand Slam success.

Eala fell 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 to her close friend Jovic in a compelling third-round contest. The result ended a promising run, yet the wider reaction has been focused on how far Eala has already come in 2026.

Greg Rusedski, the 1997 US Open runner-up, offered a strong endorsement of Eala’s trajectory after watching her recent progress. He pointed to her breakthrough at Wimbledon in July, where she became the first Filipina to reach the last 16 at a Slam, and to her first WTA Tour title in Washington, a run that included five match wins and victories over Jess Pegula and the Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng.

“Look at the progress. First Filipina in the fourth round of a Slam at Wimbledon, third round for the first time at the US Open,” said Rusedski on his podcast.

He added that the pattern of results suggests more is to come, even if setbacks remain part of the process. “Everything’s new. Everything’s happening the way she wants it to go. Yes, we’d love to see her in the quarters, semis, and winning these things, but look at the result in Washington. I mean, those five match victories and beating Jess Pegula in the finals, the Olympic champion (Qinwen Zheng), lots of players who’ve been in the top ten. She’s progressing beautifully.

“So all these combinations are positives. It doesn’t happen overnight in our sport. You’re gonna lose some matches, but in the long run, the consistency gets you where you want to go.

“And she’s gonna get there. There’s no question about it. I’d be surprised if she doesn’t knock on the top 10 in the world by the end of this season. If she doesn’t do it by the end of this season, she’ll do it early next year. That’s how good she is. She’s she’s world class.

“I think both Eala and Jovic will go far. They are both Grand Slam champions in the making.

“Both of them are way beyond their years mentally as well as physically and this defeat just shows us also with Eala how she has to keep on improving that serve because if she can start hitting the corners a little bit more, it allows her to get on the front foot.

“It doesn’t allow Jovic to attack her as much. So there’s still room for improvement, and that’s the positive. This was by far the match of the year in the women’s game. It was just from start to finish exciting, dramatic.

“Obviously, all the Filipino fans will be disappointed about this. But don’t worry, she’ll be back next year stronger and better. And she’s progressing in a nice manner. For American tennis, they’ve got a new star finally. Jovic, what a performance. What an effort. Let’s give her credit.”

Eala’s schedule now includes the WTA 500 Singapore Open from September 21 to 27, before she represents her country at the Asian Games. She will skip the WTA 1000 China Open in order to play for the Philippine team.

“I love playing and competing with the Philippine team,” said Eala, who will skip the WTA 1000 China Open to represent flag and country.

“I think it’s a really fun environment, and I love being with the team, especially this last SEA Games in December. I just found myself drawn to competing on that side,” she added.