By Tracy Cabrera
FILIPINA ‘Alex’ Eala uses a forehand to strike back at spitfirish Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in their second round matchup in Indian Wells. (Photo from GMA Network)
INDIAN WELLS, California — There’s no question about it—Filipina sensation Alexandra ‘Alex’ Eala deserves to be among the best as she convincingly showed she could withstand a stern test on the hard courts of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.
Playing her first match as a seeded player in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 event, 20-year-old Eala overcame hard-hitting Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine (currently ranked no. 52), 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, in the Round of 64 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
The Filipina’s stunning victory marks her second straight win over her 25-year-old opponent following her dominant quarterfinal triumph at the Lexus Eastbourne Open last year.
The largely pro-Eala crowd witnessed how the encounter between the two netters proved to be far more grueling as both players traded momentum across three tightly contested sets where the country’s pride won by the slimmest of margins.
The opening frame was a baseline contest with Eala and Yastremska exchanging breaks and finding themselves tied at 3-3 after six games. The Ukrainian relied on her aggressive groundstrokes to dictate rallies but Eala countered with sharp angles and her reliable two-handed backhand.
Late in the set, the Filipina appeared to seize control, breaking for a 5-3 advantage but her opponent quickly struck back, breaking in the 10th game to level the score at 5 all.
Eala then steadied herself in the crucial moments, powering her strikes to earn another break in the 12th game to grab the opener. Still, Yastremska responded in the second set behind her strong game, once again breaking serve and riding that momentum to a 4-1 cushion.
Eala attempted to close the gap by pushing the score to 4-3 but the experienced 25-year-old kept her composure to force a deciding set, which produced the biggest moment of resilience for the Filipina rising star.
Trailing 4-5 and facing the pressure of serving to stay in the match, she strung together three consecutive games to complete the comeback and steal the hard-earned victory from her rival.
The gritty win serves as the ideal tune-up, and Eala now prepares for a much tougher challenge in the next round, facing American nemesis Cori Dionne ‘Cico’ Gauff in an exciting rematch in the Round of 32.
