Alexandra Eala was in for a surprise at the French Open as Iva Jovic, Eva Lys and Zeynep Sonmez came up with an impromptu birthday wish for her. The youngster, who turned 21 on Saturday, was understandably moved by the gesture.
The surprise during one of Eala practice sessions at the French Open. The youngster had hit the practice courts ahead of the claycourt Grand Slam, which kicks off its main draw action on Sunday (May 24). The trio of Jovic, Lys and Sonmez stepped onto the court with a birthday clay, completely catching Eala off guard. The 21-year-old was visibly moved on spotting her fellow Next Gen stars.
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Photos of the sweet gesture have since made their way to social media, drawing an array of reactions from tennis fans. The pictures show a visibly emotional Eala thanking the trio. They also exchanges hugs and wishes on court, with Jovic, Lys and Sonmez being seen clapping and cheering Eala on.
The tennis also took note of the newfound “sisterhood”, with a fan on ‘X’ writing that it was great to see the youngsters put aside the competition and share a nice, emotional moment with each other. Notably, Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala are set to square off against each other in the opening round of the French Open.
“The students are gathered together, having fun. You wouldn’t see adults like this. Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala rare going to play a match, but they’re acting amazingly friendly here. Eva Lys and Zeynep Sonmez rare practically like sisters,” a fan wrote.
The Filipino is only playing in her second full season on Tour, but by the looks of it, has also made close connections with her fellow players. She is often spotting sharing laughs with others from the younger generation off court and during practice sessions as well.
Alexandra Eala and Iva Jovic to lock horns in French Open first-round encounter
Alexandra Eala and Iva Jovic, two of the brightest prospects of the women’s games, will lock horns in the opening round of the French Open. The two have landed in the top half of the women’s singles draw this year.
Eala is playing in just her second French Open, having debut at the event last year. She lost in the opening round. Jovic also debuted at the claycourt Slam last year, reaching the second round.
The two women have never crossed paths on Tour before, so their head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock. The winner will take on either Emma Navarro or Janice Tjen.
Edited by Vedant Chandel
