Alex Eala, the 19-year-old Filipino tennis sensation, roared back from a second-set deficit to clinch a thrilling 6-3, 7-5 victory over Belarus' Yuliya Hatouka in the Round of 16 of the W100 Dubai Open.
The intense match, which lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes, showcased Eala's mental fortitude and strategic prowess. Tied at 5-all in the second set, the young star unleashed a flurry of powerful shots and deft defensive maneuvers to overcome Hatouka's late surge.
With this hard-fought win, Eala advanced to the quarterfinals, where she will face defending champion Kyōka Okamura of Japan. Okamura has been in impressive form, defeating Turkish Berfu Cengiz and Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic in her previous matches.
Eala's recent success extends beyond singles. Fresh from leading the Philippine team to promotion in the BJK Cup, she and her Greek partner Valentini Grammatikopoulou secured a 6-2, 6-4 victory over the Russian duo of Daria Kudashova and Ekaterina Shalimova in the doubles competition.
The Filipino-Greek pair will now face the winners of the match between France's Amandine Hesse and Slovenia's Nika Radisic and the Netherlands' Isabelle Haverlag and Russia's Elena Pridankina.
0 Comments