DESPITE exiting the US Open women’s singles second round yesterday (Wednesday in the US) at the hands of upset-conscious Spanish Cristina Busca 3-6, 4-6, Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala remained upbeat over her brief main draw stint in the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year.
“I think there are a lot of takeaways. Every loss is just an opportunity to come back stronger,” Eala said in an interview on SPOTV Asia shortly after she was eliminated by the steady Busca, ranked 20 rungs lower in the world ratings than her foe at No. 95, after one hour and 22 minutes of action at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Although the Big Apple Filipino community came out in droves to cheer her on anew, the pretty left-hander was erratic against her opponent, who hit 25 winners, served three aces and committed just four doubles faults to finally reach the third round of the meet on her third try.
“She (Busca) played well but definitely I had my chances. There is not much that I can do about that now. I can just reflect and come back better next time,” Eala said, adding that the gallery support “and the noise was overwhelming. The noise and the cheers. I really felt the love.”
After overcoming the initial disappointment of the setback, the netter looked at the bright side of her overall performance, saying: “It meant so much to me for many different reasons. For one, it is historic. I won a single match in a Grand Slam. My first draw win in the US Open so it is a milestone for me.
“(Doing it) in front of my family and coming back from injury, that means a lot, too.
“Moving forward, I can look at this week with a positive mindset. I think that everything that happened this past week gives me confidence. Obviously, I think it adds to my experience as a player. And it gives me more awareness about myself and my platforms,” she noted.
Besides the experience, the Pinay player didn’t exactly go home empty-handed, earning $154,000, or around a whopping P8.798 million for reaching the round of 64.
She will likely stay in the US to continue her hard court training before competing in the Sao Paulo Open, a Women’s Tennis Association 250 tournament, scheduled to start on Sept. 8 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, according to the schedule posted on the WTA website.
