Alex Eala’s impressive surge of form continued as she stormed back from the brink of losing the second set to overpower 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez to seal her place in the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 tournament.
Eala roared back from 5-1 down in the second set to secure her place in the last eight with a 6-2, 7-6(4) win against her Canadian rival, much to the delight of her passionate fans watching on in the US capital.
The win was another impressive entry on the increasingly impressive run of form for the hero of the Philippines, with her thrilling performances on grass courts in June and July including a win at the Birmingham Open and a run to the last-16 at Wimbledon.
Her win against defending champion Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon was a special moment for the 21-year-old, she it ensured she booked her place in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
Now she is continuing that momentum after a win against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the opening round in Washington, she has backed it up with a gritty victory against Fernandez end the reign of the player who won the title in this event last year.
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It was Eala’s weight of shot and her battling qualities that pulled her back into the second set when Fernandez appeared to have all the momentum flowing in her direction.
The huge support she has attracted in Washington as also in evidence as she overcame windy conditions to seal another big victory.
“Leylah put me in some difficult positions, but I’m really happy about how I fought and hung in there,” declared Eala.
“When you know you levels drop and you want to do better, patience is key to work it out. A strong mentality in trying to find solutions.”
Eala was quick to praise her coach Joan Bosch after the match and she suggested the support from the sidelines and when on-court interviewer Rennae Stubbs mentioned the support she was getting form the Filipino fans in the stands, a huge roar went up.
This win fires Eala further up the WTA Rankings and she is on course to achieve another career-high ranking at the end of this week.
Eala is up to No 28 in the live rankings after this victory and if she was to go all the way and win three more matches in Washington this week to take the title, her breakthrough into the top 20 of the WTA Rankings would be confirmed.
The post Alex Eala takes big step towards rankings breakthrough as she completes remarkable recovery in Washington appeared first on Tennis365.
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