‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.
— American novelist and short story writer Alice Walker
AT the grandstand court at the Hard Rock Stadium of the Miami Gardens Tennis Center in Florida, our country’s pride Alexandra ‘Alex’ Eala was all business as she brought her A game against unpredictable Magda Linette of Poland in the third round of the Miami Open on Sunday, March 22.
In the first set, Alex delivered solid groundstrokes from both sides, even making return winners off her opponent’s second serve. She got the first break and led 5–3, capitalizing on the Pole’s unforced errors.Moving on to the second set,
Alex came out strong, breaking Linette immediately and consolidating with her own serve to go up 2–0. But Linette threatened with a good service game to get on the board at 1–2, and yet Alex, now world No. 29, stayed crafty and composed, mixing in drop shots and angled hits to keep her opponent guessing her next attack. Alex led 3–1, looking very comfortable on the Miami hard courts, confidently pulling the trigger to stay in control, but Magda couldn’t just give up and held serve in the fifth game to stay close, with our idol leading 3–2 at the changeover.Linette then was stubborn, fighting back to level at 3–3 and eventually taking the lead at 4–3. Still, our tennis star, stayed tough on her serve and tied it again at 4–4. But Magda
pushed ahead with a strong service game to lead 5–4. Alex answered right back, holding at love to even it at 5–5.
The Pole showed resilience, coming back from 0–30 on her serve to edge ahead 6–5, but Alex responded once more, raising her level to force a 6–6 tie. In the tiebreak, Alex elevated her game even further, prevailing over her rival to seal the match 6–3, 7–6.
After the match, Alex once again showed her humility, acknowledging her tough opponent: “Magda is such a fighter. She always puts me in difficult positions . . .”
“I really enjoyed the battle,” she added. “I like to think being aggressive is what I aim to do. Of course I have an amazing team who really help me take it to the next level.”
Alex’s rise has been rapid. At this time last year, she was ranked No. 140 in the world. Reflecting on her progress, she pointed to growth beyond just her game: “I think I’ve matured a lot in the past year. I’ve been put in high-pressure moments which I’m so thankful for.”
Well said, idol . . .
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