Iva Jovic has made a strong start to her Roland Garros campaign by knocking out Alex Eala in the first round.
Jovic beat Eala 6-4, 6-2 in the French capital, with the success earning the American a second round tie with compatriot Emma Navarro.
She will have to put their common ground to one side when they meet in the second round of the Grand Slam, just as she had to with her friendship with Eala.
Jovic only recently celebrated the 21st birthday of her close friend and WTA rival, who she has now discussed following their Roland Garros match.
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Iva Jovic praises Alex Eala after beating her at Roland Garros
Jovic said of fellow rising star Eala after winning their round one match: “I think there are no secrets there.
“We practice together a ton and played doubles together a ton. I think we both know our tendencies and everyone was ready for the other one.
“It was just about who was going to play their game a bit better that day. She is definitely one of my closest friends on Tour.
“I have so much respect for her as a person and a player. We had a big hug before the match and a big hug after, so no bad blood there!
“I am sure there will be many more matches and she will get me a couple of times too, so that’s tennis!”
| Iva Jovic | Alex Eala | |
| 58.7% 37/63 | Total Service Points Won | 43.5% 27/62 |
| 56.5% 35/62 | Total Return Points Won | 41.3% 26/63 |
| 57.6% 72/125 | Total Points Won | 42.4% 53/125 |
Iva Jovic preparing for tricky rematch vs Emma Navarro
While Eala will be left pondering what could have been against Jovic, the latter must quickly turn her focus to one of the most in-form players in women’s tennis.
Navarro won the Strasbourg Open just ahead of Roland Garros, and beat Jovic in the round of 16 before lifting the trophy.
Previewing the difficult test, Jovic said: “I think the French Open handed me a tricky draw here, honestly! It’s really tough. I played Emma last week, so that is going to be a bit of a rematch.
“She is playing prime Navarro right now and on a little bit of a tear, so I am expecting her to play at the very highest level and it’s just going to be about me making some adjustments from last week and being able to sustain that high level throughout one, two or three sets no matter how long it takes and not having any dips.
“Because when someone is playing well like that and on a tear, if you give them a little bit they will take it.”
Their clay-court encounter in Strasbourg was their first WTA meeting, in which Navarro triumphed 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
While momentum is with the recent WTA champion, Jovic enters their match ranked 17th in the world, with Navarro below her in 25th.
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