The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 U.S. Open. NEW YORK — Days after celebrating her high school graduation on the grounds of the U.S. Open with her cap in hand, Iva Jović passed another milestone at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. She won her first match on Arthur Ashe Stadium in a primetime showcase of two rising stars in women’s tennis, beating her good friend, Alex Eala, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.The win sends her into the fourth round of her home Grand Slam for the first time, where she will face an opponent who is plenty familiar with the biggest stage in tennis: Coco Gauff.This year, New York has tested Jović, an 18-year-old Californian born to a Serbian father and Croatian mother. A rain delay Tuesday made her wait until Wednesday afternoon to finish her first-round match, by which time several players had already made it to the third round.Her eating schedule was off. Her energy was zapped. Her sleep routine was in disarray. Her week was shaping up to be a classic U.S. Open experience.Jović is still learning how to embrace the quirks of tennis life. This January, she became the youngest woman to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open since Venus Williams. She has been steadily gaining experience at the Grand Slams ever since: Jović made the third round at the French Open and the fourth round at Wimbledon.But the U.S. Open is different for Americans. At least, it usually is.Jović was feeling the pressure and excitement of playing at home, but Saturday’s crowd, to no one’s surprise, roared for Eala.What tennis star Alex Eala means to Filipino U.S. Open fansAva Wallace and Johnny SweetThe 21-year-old from the Philippines draws massive crowds wherever she plays. It’s part of the reason the U.S. Tennis Association put her and Jović on the gigantic Arthur Ashe Stadium, in the showpiece Saturday night time slot.Eala launched herself into a stratosphere beyond tennis this summer, when she beat six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Świątek at Wimbledon. Since then, Eala has made more history by capturing her first career title at the 500-level D.C. Open last month. That win made her the first player from the Philippines to win a title on the WTA Tour.