THE NEXT generation of women’s tennis talent was on full display at the US Open on Sunday – potentially ringing in a new iconic rivalry.
Tennis is a game that has been blessed by some of the fiercest and most entertaining rivalries in sport over the years.
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Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer famously played out one of sport’s highest profile career conflicts from their first clash in 2004 to their last in 2019.
Nadal came away from their 40 competitive showdowns with the winning record at 24-16 and dominated on clay, but his opposite number’s better record on other surfaces left room for debates which will continue for years to come.
Add in branching rivalries from Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray and you get a quartet of opponents whose quest for dominance will never be forgotten.
In the women’s game, the rivalry between the Williams sisters Serena and Venus was born before they even touched a professional court.
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The pair went on to become one of the most dominant doubles partnerships the game has ever seen.
But in singles that talent and desire translated into a competitive streak that produced fireworks for years.
The women’s game also produced the iconic rivalry between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, the most prolific rivalry of the Open era.
Their mammoth 80 clashes produced a record of 43-37 in the Czech’s favour.
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And the game may have witnessed the birth of a new set of duelling careers as Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala tested their credentials as the game’s biggest rising stars in the third round of the US major.
Jovic took the glory after a closely-contested 7-5 3-6 7-5 battle at the Arthur Ashe Stadium to set up an all-American bout with Coco Gauff.
But the rivalry between the self-described best friends is only just starting to bloom alongside their early success.
The pair have enjoyed a busy few months full of hype for their future prospects in the sport.
Eala, 21, is a Filipino star drawing a massive following from her home country.
She announced her arrival as a serious contender when she dumped defending Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek out on Centre Court earlier this year.
And the successes haven’t stopped since, as she became the first tennis pro from the island nation to secure a WTA title when she triumphed over Jessica Pegula in the final.
Arguably one of the most popular players on the planet thanks to her massive home following, her meteoric rise comes on the back of a gruelling journey which saw her leave home as a child to join the Rafael Nadal tennis academy 7,000 miles away.
But she has hit something of a roadblock in 18-year-old American starlet Jovic.
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Born in the US to Serbian immigrant parents, Jovic’s love for tennis was sparked at just age five.
The California native has since climbed to the top of the game and is enjoying a stellar year, reaching at least the third round in all four majors.
That tally includes a quarter- final appearance at the Australian Open in January – making Jovic the youngest to reach the milestone since Venus Williams in 1998.
The impressive record has taken her to No14 in the WTA rankings, matching Eala’s single WTA tour win after taking the title at the Guadalajara Open last year at age 17.
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The US Open clearly understands the billing the pair provide, organising an exhibition for the pair just days before they again crossed paths in the main draw.
Jovic, who credited Eala as a close friend after her win, also took the victory in that light-hearted bout.
But the results do mark something of a pattern in their early face-offs, with Jovic now a perfect three from three against the Filipina so far.
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She registered straight- sets victories over her earlier this year at the French Open and at Queens.
But the narrow margins at the weekend suggest that Eala has enough in the tank to beat her mate on her day, and could yet strike back in the story of their rivalry.