SHOWING grit and laser-like focus, Alex Eala overcame an early first-set deficit to surge past fancied Australian Taylah Preston 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 last night in her second qualifying match for a slot in the French Open women’s singles at the famed Roland Garros courts in Paris, France.
In a battle of wills and skills between two 18-year-olds, Eala emerged triumphant, outlasting Preston, ranked 23 rungs higher than her at No. 160 in the Women’s Tennis Association ratings, after a tense and thrilling match that lasted two hours and 22 minutes.
With the win, she moved a match closer to the main draw of the world’s most famous clay court tournament.
The pretty Filipina southpaw will be up against another tough foe in Argentine Julia Riera, ranked No. 93 and the No. 2 seed in the qualifiers, who dispatched Frenchwoman Harmony Tan 6-3, 6-2 in the next round today at 10 a.m. (4 p.m. Manila time).
Eala’s grueling win was in contrast to her breezy 6-1, 6-1 victory over China’s Ma Ye Xin in the opening round of the qualifiers.
In a match of runs and service breaks, the phenomenal Pinay netter eventually gained the upper hand over her Australian rival, the No. 30 seed in the qualifying, after losing the first set.
Once Eala settled down and got into a groove, she steadily broke down Preston’s game and her self-confidence from the second set onwards.
Eala’s tenacity and ferocity was underscored in the pivotal third set when, from a 2-4 count, she reeled off three straight games to seize the lead at 5-4.
The Aussie managed to break back to knot the score at 5-5 but Eala broke her opponent again in the 11th, her win capped by an anti-climactic Preston error at 40-30 in the 12th game.
Eala played more consistently, committing less errors, 15 forced and 46 unforced, to her opponent’s 21-58.
Preston also committed 11 double faults, three more than her foe, some of them in critical points of the match.
