Alex Eala delivered a huge upset over World No. 8 Jasmine Paolini and sparked a 6–1, 7–6 (5) sweep to claim a round of 32 slot in the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships women's singles at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre, February 18.
Eala fought in a second-set tiebreak despite squandering a 5–3 game-edge as she went on a narrow scuffle before securing the stunning win with a forehand smash that her foe failed to swat.
In an interview, the Pinay stated that she was trying to keep everything in check while also thinking about how many Filipino fans are praying for her.
“In the tiebreak, I was trying everything to keep myself in check,” said Eala. “I was thinking, ‘This stadium is full of Filipinos. How many of you are praying for me?’ So I really had to give everything I got.”
The win marked her third-ever triumph against a WTA top 10 player, following her prior beating of the World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and World No. 5 Madison Keys.
Eala found her groove right from the get go as she slotted multiple lefty attacks that Paolini fell short in intercepting to eventually create a 3–1 advantage.
She maintained her surge with a 6–1 rout after capitalizing on her counterpart’s minor mishaps that gave way for her back-to-back offensives.
The 20-year-old Filipina then fired several backhand plays in the second set that thumped the Italian’s returns to gradually craft a two-point lead.
But Paolini tried to stage a Houdini.
Attempting to stop the bleeding, the Italian ace trimmed her opponent’s cushion as she let loose cross-court strikes to kickstart a 6–all deadlock.
The tussle went into tiebreak, where Paolini snagged a point edge, 2–3 after unleashing a forehand smash that the blue-clad Pinay failed to clamp down.
However, Eala escaped the back-and-forth skirmish as she nursed a 6–5 buffer before finally sealing the deal with a smash to pry through the Italian’s defenses.
The Filipina will now lock horns with Romania’s Sorana Cirstea on February 19.
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